


What Do You Mean You're Not Actually in this Class?

by cantdrawshaw



Series: College AU [1]
Category: Supergirl (TV 2015)
Genre: Alex's a senior, Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Human, F/F, Kara's a sophomore, Lena's a freshman, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-24
Updated: 2018-02-07
Packaged: 2019-01-04 16:17:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 26,323
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12172398
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cantdrawshaw/pseuds/cantdrawshaw
Summary: “No, no!” Kara hastens to say, seeing the pout that's making its way onto Lena’s face. She can’t possibly let a face like that be sad for one more second. “I just must have missed him talking about that. Yeah, totally, I’d love to work with you, Lena.”Wait.Lena’s expression brightens immediately, her smile dazzling as she shoulders her bag. “Great! I’ll see you Friday then."Or: The one where Kara sits next to a pretty girl for one day and somehow ends up attending a class she never even signed up for nearly half of the semester.





	1. The Beginning

                It’s an accident.

                That’s what Kara keeps trying to tell herself as she takes in her current situation. She’d been on her way to the dining hall for breakfast – and maybe she had been a little _too_ excited at the prospect of her morning cinnamon bun, and maybe that excitement had made her push the door of her dorm building open a little too hard, but it was usually fine on the numerous occasions she had done that in the past. A loud bang and a few frowns from the janitorial staff, but nothing major.

                But this time, there’s a crash and a muffled yell, which leads to the predicament Kara’s currently facing: her sister splayed out on the ground in front of the door, backpack and all its contents strewn out behind her, clutching her arm awkwardly to her torso.

                Kara jolts as she realizes what happened. “Alex! I’m so, so sorry! Are you okay? I didn’t see you!”

                Alex looks up at her sister with wide eyes, her expression angry as she winces in pain. “Kara? What the heck? How could you not see me; the door has windows for crying out loud!” She tries to gesture to the door to prove her point, but ends up grimacing instead as she moves her hand. “Ow,” she hisses. “I think I broke something.”

                Kara crouches down in front of Alex, panicking. “Let me see.”

                They’re interrupted by a loud blaring – the alarm for the door that Kara’s blocking from closing – and Alex cringes again. “Shut the door already!’ she yells over the piercing alarm.

                Kara, who had gone immobile at the sudden noise, springs into action. “Right, right,” she says. The door closes and the alarm falls silent, thankfully. Kara looks down at Alex, uncertain of what to do. “Can you get up?”

                “Yeah,” Alex grumbles, taking Kara’s offered hand to pull her to her feet. “Let’s go inside; I need to sit.”

                Kara quickly picks up Alex’s stuff and swipes her ID to let them get back into the building, helping Alex over to one of the cushy chairs in the lobby. She hovers over her as Alex pulls up her sleeve to look at the damage. Her wrist is red and swollen, a bruise already darkening the skin.

                “Ouch, that looks bad, I’m so sorry, Alex, so sorry, I didn’t mean –”

                Alex cuts off her rambling apology. “It’s okay, Kara. I know you didn’t do it on purpose. You were just on your way to your cinnamon buns and not looking, right?”

                Kara nods, feeling even guiltier that she’s that predictable. 

                “And I _was_ in the way of the door, trying to find my card, which somehow got lost in the void in the bottom of my bag,” Alex continues. “So it was nobody’s fault.”

                Kara scuffs her shoe on the floor, still feeling really bad, and to her alarm, Alex suddenly bursts out laughing. “What’s so funny?”

                “It’s probably just the pain making me loopy, but, of course, this just had to happen between you and me. Because apparently, no one else on this campus is awake at this hour.”

                Kara eyes her sister, seeing how pale she’s gotten in the past few minutes. “I’ll go find an RA or, or someone, or call somebody, or – ”

                Alex sobers up at that and cuts her off with a sigh. “It’s okay,” she repeats. “They’ll just try and take me to the hospital. I’ll be fine. I have class in an hour.”

                “What? Alex, you can’t go to class like this! Your wrist is probably broken! You _need_ to go to the hospital!”

                Alex stands up then, looking like, true to her word, she is going to try to go to class like that. “You don’t understand. My professor takes attendance in this class. With the clickers, you know? Participation points?” she asks, referencing the electronic clickers that let professors ask multiple choice questions and get immediate feedback as to who answers what. Many use it as an easy way to take attendance in large class sizes. “So I have to go,” Alex continues. “Because if I’m not there, I won’t get those points, and if I don’t get those points, I won’t get into med school.”

                Kara fails to see any sort of logic in that, and she grabs Alex’s uninjured arm, preventing her from leaving. “Wait, wait, wait. Hold on. I think the pain is making you a little dramatic. Your professor will surely understand. Just email them and then get a doctor’s note. Surely they’ll let you make up anything you miss.”

                Alex shakes her head. “Yeah, I can make up any assignments I miss, but I can’t get the participation points back. I have to _go_. Four point ohs don’t earn themselves.”

                Kara pushes her sister back until she’s sitting down again. “Look, you’re going to stay here while I get somebody to help us. And then-” An idea pops into her head, and it’s probably crazy, but she says it anyway. “Then I’ll go to class for you. I’ll take your clicker so you get the points you need, while you get your wrist taken care of. Deal?”

                Alex pauses for a moment, looking like she’s actually considering it. “That could work,” she muses. “It’s only the second week of classes, and it’s a huge lecture. No one will know you’re not supposed to be there. And you don’t have class until later.”

                Kara gives her a look, the kind that she hopes says, See? _Don’t try to fight me on this_.

                “Fine,” Alex sighs, cradling her elbow tightly. “Go find someone and then we’ll figure it out. This is starting to really hurt.”

                “Okay, be right back! Don’t move!” Kara scurries off, fully prepared to go wake up an RA. It won’t be the first time she’s had to.

…

                So that’s how Kara finds herself walking into the huge lecture hall for what turns out to be Alex’s Medieval History class with ten minutes to spare, having just seen Alex safely escorted to the hospital. She swallows the guilt that’s threatening to overwhelm her about hurting her sister and focuses on the task at hand: getting through this class for Alex.

                The first step is to find a seat. She scans the rows from the back of the room, noticing that the majority of the seats are already taken. There’s one row in the middle that is almost completely empty, though, save for one lone occupant. Kara heads down the steps in that direction, noticing as she gets closer that it’s one girl sitting alone. Kind of wondering what that’s all about, Kara sits next to her, pulling a notebook and pen from her bag.

                The girl looks startled that she’s there, and looks at Kara with wide eyes. It’s then that Kara actually looks at her, and good God, she’s _gorgeous_. Long, straight, black hair, piercing eyes, a jawline that looks like it could cut somebody in half, and, and -

                She’s actually struck dumb for a minute at how beautiful this girl is before she manages to snap herself out of it. “Hi,” she squeaks.

                The girl raises an eyebrow before smiling. “Hello,” she replies before going back to writing in what looks to be a planner.

                A little overwhelmed at the whirlwind of emotions she’s experienced so far that day – fear, guilt, nervousness, and now utter bewilderment, and it isn’t even nine o’ clock yet – Kara pulls out her phone to text Alex as promised.

I made it with plenty of time. I have your clicker and I’ll take notes for you too. :) Let me know how it goes with the x-ray <3  
Why are you taking this class anyway?

                The professor walks into the front of the room then, putting his briefcase on the ground by the podium and logging into the computer that’s hooked up to the large projector screen. Kara watches as he pulls up a slideshow and groans as she sees they’ll be talking about the plague that day. Serves her right, she supposes.

                 Her phone vibrates twice in quick succession.

Thanks. Filling out paperwork now. I will.  
They told me I needed a history class to graduate and that was the only one I could get into -_- 

                Kara shoves her phone into her bag as the lights dim, the professor explaining that they’ll be starting the class with a short video. She groans again halfway through the documentary, as it’s just as graphic and gruesome with the details as she had imagined it would be.

                A chuckle comes from her right, and she looks over to see the girl watching her instead of the screen. “Plague not really your thing?” she whispers, and that sentence is enough to send chills down Kara’s spine. Because even her _voice_ is beautiful.

                “Not really,” she whispers back. “I don’t like thinking about how such a tiny species of bug could kill hundreds of thousands of people like that. Or watching reenactments of it. ”

                The girl chuckles lowly at her answer. “I see your point. But technically it was the bacteria that the fleas were infected with, not the fleas themselves.”

                “Still,” Kara says. “That somehow makes it worse.”

                They’re prevented from continuing the conversation as someone in the row in front of them turns around to shush them. Kara lets out a relieved sigh as the video finally ends, and the professor switches the lights back on to begin the lecture.

                There’s a clattering from all around the room as two hundred students fish around in their bags. Kara sees that it’s due to a clicker question being put on the board, so she bends down to take Alex’s out as well.

                When she comes back up there’s a hand hovering over her desk. She turns towards the girl and finds her smiling again. “I’m Lena, by the way,” she says.

                She’s blinded by the show of teeth, and Kara manages to shake her hand without saying anything right away.

                _Get a grip, Kara. How did it ever take you that long to realize you’re bi when you always get this flustered around pretty girls?_

“K-Kara,” she finally sputters. “Kara Danvers.”

                The girl – _Lena_ – smiles even wider. “Nice to meet you, Kara. You might want to choose an answer before it closes.” She points down to the clicker Kara’s holding, not even turned on yet.

                Kara fumbles with the buttons. “Right, right!” She chooses an answer at random without even looking at the question, right before the professor stops the poll to bring up the results.

                Of course, she hadn’t gotten it right, but Alex had told her that the correct answer didn’t factor into your participation grade, just that she answered all the questions for the day. Still, Kara vows to not get distracted and try harder on the next one.

                Then the lecture truly begins, and Kara’s lost in a world of scribbling notes as fast as possible with short breaks for more questions for the next forty minutes. She has no idea what Alex needs to know so she writes down everything, leaving her hand cramping and her pen running almost dry by the time the lecture starts wrapping up.

                With five minutes to go, Kara hears her phone vibrate in her bag. The professor is droning on about some upcoming assignment, so she pulls her phone out and checks it quickly to see it’s a message from Alex. Her heart sinks as she reads it.

It’s fractured. They’re putting me in a splint :/

                Feeling devastated at the thought of actually hurting Alex, Kara feels the tears that had been threatening to fall earlier come back full force. She blinks hard a few times to clear them away, not wanting to cry in some random class that she’s not even supposed to be in. She tries to think of a reply back, but can’t think of anything that’s even remotely close to expressing how sorry she is, so she decides to wait until she can see Alex later.

                A hand finds its way to her arm, and she looks up to find Lena frowning down at her. It’s only then that she realizes that class is over and the room is a cacophony of sound as students start to leave.

                “Everything okay?” Lena asks.

                Kara shakes her head to clear it, trying to perk up a little. “Yeah, I’m fine.”

                Lena raises an eyebrow again, and _dang it_ , Kara’s so weak. “It’s just Alex – uh, my sister. She hurt her wrist this morning and she just texted me from the ER that it’s broken.”

                “Sorry to hear that,” Lena says sincerely. Her expression is filled with such utter sympathy that Kara forgets everything for a moment. All she can focus on are the eyes looking into hers and the way Lena’s hair falls over her shoulder and the top button of her shirt that isn’t buttoned and _nope, nope, nope, not going there, Kara._

                Lena clears her throat, startling Kara back into reality. The room is half empty at this point and Kara takes the hint to start gathering her stuff.

                Lena glances away and bites her lip as Kara stands up – and wow, Kara’s going to need to process how good _that_ image is later – before giving her a look Kara can’t quite place. Apprehension? Nervousness? “So,” Lena says. “Would you want to work together on Friday?”

                Of all the things Kara thought she would say, that was not one of them. “Uh, what?”

                “For the group worksheet on Friday? Would you like to be my partner?” Seeing Kara’s dumbfounded expression, Lena tries to elaborate further. “The professor was just talking about it? We have to do the assignment with at least one other person.”

                She must take Kara’s blank hesitation as a negative sign because she sighs. “Forget it. You probably have plans to work with someone else.”

                “No, no!” Kara hastens to say, seeing the pout that's making its way onto Lena’s face. She can’t possibly let a face like that be sad for one more second. “I just must have missed him talking about that. Yeah, totally, I’d love to work with you, Lena.”

                _Wait_.

                Lena’s expression brightens immediately, her smile dazzling as she shoulders her bag. “Great! I’ll see you Friday then. Tell your sister I hope her wrist heals quickly!”

                And then she’s gone. Kara’s left standing in an empty room, as she processes what she’s just done. How on earth had she gotten so whipped for a girl that quickly that she’d forgotten that she’s not even in the class in the first place?

                She thinks about the way Lena’s face had lit up at the prospect of working with her for the next class.

                God, she was _screwed_.


	2. The Decision

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “What really happened?”
> 
> There’s no use in trying to hide it. “I may have promised the really pretty girl I sat next to that I would work with her on the group assignment? And I might be actually considering going back to do it?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (Disclaimer: this is a product of my procrastination on school work. Don't expect the next chapter this quickly, as I really do need to do said schoolwork. And I wanna get another part of my blind!Kara AU out first.)
> 
> No Lena this chapter, but she'll be back! And it got a little angsty at the end... promise there's plenty of fluff to come!

                Kara shows up at Alex’s dorm room later that evening in her comfiest pair of sweats, her backpack with all the stuff she needs to give Alex slung over one shoulder. She’s carrying a tub of ice cream she just bought in the dining hall, so she knocks on the door with her free hand.

                Alex swings the door open and Kara’s eyes immediately flood with tears as she zeros in on the sling her sister is now sporting.

                “Your arm,” she manages to quaver in lieu of a greeting.

                Alex pulls the ice cream from her grasp and places it on her desk before wrapping Kara in a one-armed hug. “Hey, hey, c’mere, it’s okay.”

                Kara sniffles into her shoulder and squeezes tightly. Alex rubs up and down her back with her good hand and continues trying to soothe. “It was an accident, Kara. I don’t blame you.”

                “I do,” Kara says, pulling away and looking down at the ground. “Ice cream can’t make up for this.”

                “Hmm,” Alex hums, and Kara can’t understand how she can smile right now. “I think a little cookie dough can go a long way. C’mon in, we can watch a movie or just talk if you want. I think I have something that might cheer you up.”

                Kara flops onto Alex’s bed, hugging a pillow to her stomach. “Don’t think anything can cheer me up,” she mumbles.

                “Sure about that?” Alex goes into her mini-fridge and pulls out a pastry bag. Kara instantly perks up when she sees the familiar logo from the university’s bakery. “I figured you missed out on yours today,” Alex says, peeling back the wrapping.

                Kara stares wide-eyed at the cinnamon roll in Alex’s hand. “How did you get that? They’re usually gone as soon as breakfast starts!”

                “I have my ways,” Alex replies cryptically.

                Kara shoots her a look.

                “James snagged it for me before we went to the ER,” she explains further, referring to their friend and the unfortunate Resident Assistant Kara had woken up that morning.

                (She had felt a little bad when he peered blearily into the hallway after she pounded on his door, clearly just asleep, but her worry for her sister had overruled her capacity for caring too much. And he hadn’t seemed to mind after she explained the situation, spurring into action by pulling on some jeans and grabbing his shoes, rushing with Kara out to the lobby.)

                “He thought it would make me feel a little better,” Alex continues. “But I figured you were gonna need it more than I did.”

                Alex puts the pastry in the microwave to warm it up and Kara looks around the room as they wait. “So where’s Lucy?” Kara asks, referring to Alex’s roommate of four years.

                Alex opens the microwave and manages to grab the pastry and close the door with her elbow. “She mentioned something about a study group with James and Vasquez. Figure they won’t be done for a while.”

                “And what about Maggie? She’s probably worried too. Wouldn’t you rather be hanging out with her?”

                Alex sits down on the bed and passes Kara the cinnamon roll. She starts running her hand through Kara’s hair. “She got a chance to baby me already,” she says. “She carried my backpack around and opened doors for me all day. And we ate dinner together earlier. I told her I needed some time alone with you tonight. She understands.”

                “Okay,” Kara relents, taking a bite. “But aren’t I supposed to be the one comforting you?” she asks around a mouthful of pure deliciousness.

                “Maybe,” Alex muses, still playing with Kara’s hair. “But I’m all right. It’s not my writing hand and the pain’s not too bad. It’s a hairline fracture and the doctor said it should heal nicely. I’m supposed to keep the sling on for two weeks to keep my arm stable, and the splint for a couple more. And my six-week check-up can be done at the campus infirmary, so it could have been a lot worse.”

                “That’s good,” Kara says quietly. She wraps her arms back around Alex, careful to avoid the sling. “I’m glad you’re okay.”

                “See? Nothing to fret about.” Alex squeezes back. “Oh, and Mom’s coming up this weekend. I had to call her from the ER to get her insurance information, so she knows what happened. Well, I didn’t tell her everything exactly, I just said I tripped and fell.”

                “Wait, why? You should have just said it was my fault.”

                “I didn’t want to drag you down with me. This was more believable anyway. She’s used to blaming me.”

                It’s Kara’s turn to run her fingers through Alex’s hair. “That’s not true. She knows I mess up way more than you ever do. And how could she blame you for that? She was probably just worried about you.”

                “Yeah, but it would be nice if she would just come out and say that for once. Instead, it’s ‘Try not to be so reckless, Alexandra. This better not impact your studies, Alexandra.’” Alex’s voice rises in an imitation of Eliza, her eyes rolling.

                “Well, I’ll help you explain it to her,” Kara promises. “I’ve got your back. And so does she, although it might not seem like it.”

                Alex sighs. “I know. We’re both still working on our issues. She’s been a lot better lately. But thanks, Kara. I appreciate it.”

                “Oh,” Kara says as she suddenly remembers her backpack. “Speaking of studies.” She sits up and grabs her bag, giving Alex her clicker back. She hands over her notebook as well. “I took all the notes for you. We watched some awful video in the beginning; I don’t know if you can make that up somehow. And you have a group assignment on Friday, but I think it’s just some worksheet.”

                “The video’s probably online. And yeah.” Alex nods. “The professor likes giving us group work like that. I think it’s just an excuse to waste time so he doesn’t have to lecture the whole class. But thank you. How did it go other than that?”

                “Oh,” Kara says, swallowing the last of the cinnamon roll and trying to sound nonchalant. “It was fine. No big deal. I showed up, I clicked some answers, I left. Nothing you didn’t tell me to do.”

                Alex raises an eyebrow. It’s moments like this when Kara hates the fact that her sister knows her so well. “What really happened?”

                There’s no use in trying to hide it. “I may have promised the really pretty girl I sat next to that I would work with her on the group assignment? And I might be actually considering going back to do it?”

                Alex’s jaw falls open a little bit as she takes in what Kara’s just admitted. “You did what? And what? Why didn’t you start with this?”

                Kara shrugs. “Because I know you’re either going to laugh at me or tell me I’m an idiot.”

                Alex mutters something that sounds suspiciously like _more like a gay disaster_ before clearing her throat. “I’ll hold off judgment until I hear the whole story. So spill.”

                “There was just this girl sitting by herself, and I sat next to her. She turned out to be really nice, and yes, drop-dead gorgeous, so when she asked to work together next class, I said yes without thinking,” Kara explains, squeezing the pillow on her lap as she does. “And I feel like I have to go back, because I can’t just leave her hanging. It would be rude. Plus, I wanna see her again.”

                Alex’s only answer is a burst of giggling.

                “I can’t believe I missed this,” she manages to wheeze a minute later. “This is pure _gold_. And you said _I_ had it bad when I first discovered I liked Maggie.”

                Kara throws the pillow at her, but it does nothing to deter her sister’s amusement.

                “You can’t seriously be considering it, though, right? You’re not even in the class!” Alex laughs.

                “I could get away with it for one more day, though, probably,” Kara tries, not really sure why she’s trying to apply logic to a situation she shouldn’t even be considering. “But the class seems like it’s so boring. I’m not interested in the subject at all. And from what I saw, the professor was… weird.”

                Alex rolls her eyes. “Tell me about it. His name is Lord and he’s a total douchebag, just like it sounds. I don’t sit in the front in his class like I usually do, because when I tried, he just stared at me _all_ the time.”

                “Really?”

                “Yeah. Eye contact and the whole up-and-down-thing men do. It was creepy.”

                “Ew.”

                “Yep. But I at least am getting credit out of it. You, on the other hand, could get in trouble.”

                “Not if I don’t get caught,” Kara tries to joke. “I have a whole day to think about it. It’s not like I’m one-hundred percent considering it.”

_You so are, Kara, don’t kid yourself. Have you forgotten that Lip Bite™ already?_

                “Sure,” Alex deadpans. “Whatever lets you sleep at night. Want to watch something now? Maybe two hours of mindless activity will knock some sense into you.”

                Kara agrees, and she lets Alex pick the movie, still feeling guilty about the whole thing. It’s a decision she sincerely regrets as her sister makes them watch _The Butterfly Effect_. Kara spends the rest of the night in Alex’s room, too freaked out to fall asleep. But it does accomplish the goal of making her forget about her problems for a while.

…

                “Ugh,” Kara groans as she plops down at the table for dinner, carefully placing her tray overloaded with food in front of her. It’s Thursday night and she still hasn’t figured out what to do. “How’d I let myself get into this mess?” she asks herself out loud.

                Winn barely even glances up from the laptop he’s typing furiously away at. He had been the first friend Kara had made on campus, as both Journalism and Computer majors were required to take a computer science class their first semester. “Not sure what you’re referring to,” he says. “And knowing your daily life, I think you’re going to have to elaborate further.”

                Kara puts her head down on the table instead of answering, not wanting to go into it again, just as Lucy comes over to join them.

                “She’s probably referring to the fact that she let a pretty girl think she’s in a class she’s not actually in,” Lucy explains, grinning devilishly at Kara.

                Kara groans again. “Alex told you?”

                “What else are roommates for, if not gossip?” Lucy puts her arm around Kara’s shoulder. “Buck up, kid, we’ve all been there. Scale of one to ten, how hot was she?”

                Kara buries her face back into her arms.

                Alex and Maggie are the next to join them, the latter carefully balancing a tray with two of everything on it. Maggie places Alex’s share of food in front of her spot at the table and pulls out Alex’s chair before sitting down herself.

                “Aww,” Winn coos. “And the award for the best girlfriend ever goes to Sawyer over here.”

                Maggie shoots Winn a glare. “Can it, Schott, or you’re gonna be the one with a cast.”

                Alex leans over and kisses Maggie’s cheek, prompting Maggie to relax into her side. “He’s right, though, babe. You are the best.”

                “I see how it is,” Lucy says, flicking one of her fries at Alex. “It’s fine if the girlfriend tries to help, but when _I_ offer to tie your shoes for you after watching you struggle for at least ten minutes this morning, it’s, ‘I can handle it, Lane. I’m almost in med school.’”

                “Is that why you’re not wearing your boots today?” Maggie asks, gesturing under the table, where Alex is indeed sporting some slip-ons, very uncharacteristic for her.

                Alex stiffens in defense, throwing the fry back at Lucy. “Maybe I haven’t figured out how to tie my own shoelaces just yet, but at least I am still capable of knowing which classes I am actually enrolled in.”

                Lucy and Alex both giggle at that, and Kara frowns as she realizes Alex deflected the teasing onto her. Maggie grins wide as she leans in closer to the table. “Oh yes. We need details, Little Danvers. Who is she?”

                Kara takes a big bite of pizza before answering. “Her name’s Lena.”

                Alex chokes on her drink she’s just taken a sip of. Maggie pounds on her back a few times until she’s able to stop coughing. “ _Lena_? As in Lena _Luthor_?” she asks as soon as she stops sputtering.

                The whole table falls silent and turns toward Kara, who shrinks a little under the tension without knowing why. “She didn’t say her last name,” Kara says, really confused. “Why? Do you know her?”

                “Of course she didn’t,” Alex scoffs at the same time as Winn asks, “You mean you don’t?”

                Winn’s the one to elaborate. “Lex Luthor’s sister? The guy who went crazy and killed all those people? She just got accepted here as a freshman? Supposed to be some kind of next-level genius?”

                “I know who that is,” Kara says, elbowing him. “I just didn’t realize she went here. And you don’t know if it’s the same Lena.”

                “Long, black hair?” Alex asks. “And you said no one was sitting near her? That’s Luthor. She’s in my biochem class and it’s the same deal.” She smacks her forehead with her hand. “You didn’t tell me her name last night. Still, how did I not put this together sooner? You need to stay away from her, Kara.”

                Kara’s taken aback by the blatant commanding tone in Alex’s voice. “Why?”

                “Isn’t it obvious? Because she’s a Luthor!”

                Kara pushes her tray away, suddenly no longer very hungry. “She’s not the one who killed people!” she points out, her tone rising to match Alex’s irritated one. “You can’t judge her just on who her family is!” She levels her glare on Winn. “Can you, Winn?”

                It’s a low-blow, due to who Winn’s father is, but Winn just slumps further into his seat, not wanting to get involved in the argument. Kara turns back to Alex. “I know she’s not like her brother.”

                Alex raises her eyebrows, her exasperation level rising fast. “How? You barely even _know_ her. And you were apparently too blinded by her appearance to even be able to think straight anyway!”

                Maggie places a hand on Alex’s arm, trying to calm her down. The rest of the table is silent as they watch the sisters hash it out.

                Kara crosses her arms and huffs. “You didn’t see her. She looked so lonely before I sat next to her and then so happy when I said hi. And when she asked to work with me –” She suddenly loses steam as she comprehends the look Lena had given her the day before. “She looked like she was just waiting for me to reject her,” she finishes softly.

                Kara pushes back from the table before anyone can say anything else. Four sets of eyes rise to meet hers. She fails to meet any one of their gazes as she picks up her bag.

                “I’m going tomorrow,” she declares hotly. “I don’t care what you think. I made a promise and I’m sticking to it. If she wants a friend, then I’m going to be there to try.”

                She storms to the door, leaving her only half-finished meal behind her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The others will come around eventually, promise.


	3. The Attempt

There’s a knock on Kara’s door early the next morning, and she pulls it open to find a sheepish-looking Alex standing in the hallway. “Hey,” her sister says softly.

                “Hey,” Kara replies, standing awkwardly in the doorway. She doesn’t know what else to say, still reeling from an emotional night and the feelings she always gets when she and Alex fight.

                “Look, I just wanted to say I’m sorry about last night. I overreacted. I just-”

                “Was trying to protect me,” Kara finishes before Alex can. Alex nods, so Kara continues. “I get it. It’s okay. I shouldn’t have snapped at you either.”

                Alex smiles a little at that, holding out her arm. “Make-up hug?” she asks.

                Kara is quick to embrace her sister, probably a little too quick, as she ends up jostling Alex’s left shoulder, making Alex hiss in pain. “Sorry!” Kara apologizes, stepping back. It’s only after Alex assures her that she’s fine that Kara tries again, hugging only her good side. “I hate when we fight,” Kara admits, her head on Alex’s shoulder.

                “Me too. But we’re sisters, it has to happen sometimes.” Alex pulls away, pushing some hair behind her ear. “And I guess it’s time for me to learn that I can’t protect you from all the bad guys anymore.”

                “We both know you’ll always try to protect me,” Kara says, shaking her head. “But I promise you, Lena’s not a bad guy. I know I only was with her for less than two hours, but I can tell. You have to believe me.”

                Alex sighs. “I trust your judgment.”

                Kara’s face instantly brightens by about a thousand watts, and Alex holds up her finger. “I still don’t like it,” she continues. “But I think you’re right that everyone deserves a chance.”

                Kara rocks up on her sock-clad feet in her excitement. “Thank you!”

                “But are you really planning to go back to this class for her?”

                Kara sobers a little at that and nods. “I thought a lot about it last night. I’m just going to go to tell Lena the truth. I’ll explain I was just filling in for you. And then I’ll ask if she’d still like to be friends!”

                The truth is that Kara had spent the second night in a row wide awake as she contemplated what she should do. She was vaguely worried that Lena would get mad once she heard the truth or that this would mean the end of their acquaintanceship – the end of something before anything could really start. But as she tossed and turned, she decided that honesty was the best policy, and she could only hope Lena wouldn’t take it the wrong way.

                She’s broken out of her reverie by Alex asking another question. “Well, class-crasher, do you want to grab some breakfast before we go?”

                “Sure,” Kara sighs, resigning herself to the fact that Alex was never going to let her live this down. Not in a million years. “Let me get my stuff.”

                Kara puts on her shoes and grabs her backpack and jacket. She switches off her light and closes her door, following Alex down the hallway. She hustles in front of her sister as they reach the door to the stairwell, holding it open for Alex to pass.

                Kara gets a glance at Alex’s feet as they begin descending the steps. “I see someone let Lucy tie their shoes this morning,” Kara remarks teasingly.

                Alex side-eyes her and pouts grumpily. “I missed my boots, okay?” she mutters.

…

 _Okay, this is it, Danvers._ Kara paces outside of the entrance of the lecture hall, psyching herself up.  She takes a deep breath to steel her nerves and walks into the room. She quickly spots Lena, sitting in a different section this time, but still all alone. Kara makes her way down the steps carefully, her heart pounding for a multitude of reasons.

                _C’mon, Kara, you got this._  

                But when she gets there, Lena looks up at her with an expression of disbelief, which quickly transforms into a radiant smile. “You came,” she breathes out. As if she hadn’t been expecting it at all. Or hadn’t let herself hope.

                That’s all it takes for Kara’s resolve to be quickly shot out the window. How on earth can she possibly admit the truth when Lena is looking at her like that? So utterly delighted that she’s there?

                _I guess I could wait until_ after _class._

                “Of course,” she says, sliding into the seat next to Lena. “Why wouldn’t I?”

                Lena slides a hand through her – _perfect_ – hair. “I thought maybe you would sit somewhere else today.”

                “Oh,” Kara says. “No. Why would I?”

                Lena tilts her head. She’s silent for a minute until she finally speaks. “Do you know who I am?”

                Kara’s heart sinks a little at the sadness in that question. She nods, not wanting to lie about anything. Well, anything _else_. “I didn’t know, before. But yeah, I do. Now.”

                Lena’s eyebrows furrow, and her gaze drops. “Then I don’t understand. Most people won’t even come within ten feet of me when they realize I’m a Luthor.” She gestures to the way the other students are all avoiding the row as if to emphasize the fact.

                “Well, I’m not most people,” Kara replies softly, reaching out to touch Lena’s hand lightly. Lena looks up and gives her a small smile, and it’s so full of gratitude and hope and _longing_ that Kara has to hold herself back from hugging her right then and there.

                “No, I guess you’re not,” Lena finally says. She clears her throat and takes a pen out of her bag, turning back to Kara with her composure once again intact. “So, Kara, what year are you?”

                 “I’m a sophomore,” Kara replies. “Journalism major. What about you?”

                “I’m technically a freshman,” Lena says. “But I have a lot of credits completed already. I’m double-majoring in chemical and mechanical engineering, with a minor in business.”

                “Wow,” Kara whistles. “That’s…” She searches for the right word.

                “Insane?” Lena supplies.

                “Well, maybe. But I was gonna go with impressive.”

                “You wouldn’t say that if you saw how many credits I’m currently taking,” Lena laughs.

                There’s a pause in the conversation then, neither of them really knowing what to say next. Kara fiddles with her necklace, her nerves suddenly steeling with resolve. “Listen, Lena, there’s – well, there’s something I should te–”

                Professor Lord chooses that moment to step up to the podium. “Good morning, everyone. Before we begin, are there any questions on what we covered in the last lecture?”

                Lena had been looking at her curiously, and now she frowns in the direction of the podium as if she blames the start of class for interrupting their conversation. Kara sighs and slumps in her seat, resigning herself to the fact that she’s going to have to sit through another unnecessary – and completely boring – lecture.

                They’re ten minutes in when she feels a tap on her elbow and she turns to find Lena looking at her. “Not taking notes today?” Lena whisper-asks, glancing at Kara’s empty desk, her backpack still zipped shut at her feet.

                “Oh, um, no,” Kara whispers back. “I, um, I left my notebook in my room this morning.”

                Lena nods, as if the flimsy excuse could even make a lick of sense to her. “I’ll let you copy my notes later,” she offers.

                “Uh, right. Thank you.”

                “Did you forget your clicker too? It would be a shame to miss out on the attendance points when you’re actually here.”

                “Right!” Kara reaches down and shuffles through her bag, taking her own clicker out. She’ll just pretend to answer any questions that come up.  “Got it!”

                 The lecture turns out to not be that bad, but that’s probably due to the way Kara zones out after about ten more minutes, the sleepless nights catching up to her quickly. She’s nudged into alertness by Lena every time a clicker question pops up, and by the fourth time, Kara does her best to at least make it seem like she’s paying the slightest bit of attention.

                Halfway through the class period, Professor Lord starts handing out papers. “You can work with others to complete this worksheet,” he instructs. “No groups bigger than four. I only need one paper from each group: make sure everyone gets their name on it for credit. I will be collecting this at the end of class.”

                Kara nearly forgot about the worksheet that had been assigned for that day – the whole reason she’s there in the first place.  She sits up in her seat and clears her throat, trying to come up with some rapid-fire plan. Lord goes back to the podium after handing everything out, sitting down in the chair that’s supplied for lecturers. Kara’s pretty sure she sees him take out his phone.

                A student in front of them passes a stack of papers to Kara, and she takes one before passing them to the row behind them. She realizes how in-over-her-head she is as she gives the questions a quick glance over. “Uh, Lena? I may have a confession to make.”

_Now’s your chance, Kara. Say it now!_

“What is it?” Lena eyes her curiously. Kara’s immediately lost in the intensity of Lena’s gaze, the way her hair is partly pulled back today, and how her shirt is once again giving a welcome glimpse of – _eyes up, Kara!_

                “Uh, I just,” she stammers. “I’m just not sure how much help I’m going to be with these.”

                _You are useless._ Useless. 

                Lena laughs as she looks over Kara’s shoulder at the paper. “I’m sure you’re discrediting yourself. How about I walk you through anything you don’t know? Would you like to write or should I?”

                “You probably should,” Kara says quickly, trying to hand the paper to Lena. “Your handwriting is much better than mine.”

                Lena laughs again. “Okay, okay. But you at least have to write your name.”

                Kara’s face flushes and she momentarily panics as Lena watches her. Her hand shakes as she scrawls her name at the top in pencil, then passes it over. Lena takes the page and does the same.

                “Okay,” she says. “Question one.”

                They spend the next half hour answering questions, Kara trying to desperately remember anything from her high school history classes so she can at least be some help. Lena doesn’t seem to mind that she’s doing the majority of the work, her face lighting up as she explains things to Kara. At more than one point, Kara has to force herself to keep from staring as Lena rambles on.

                _She’s just so beautiful._

                Kara fares a little better once they get to the later questions, as they focus on topics covered in the last lecture. She finds she remembers a lot, probably because she had taken such vigorous notes for Alex. Lena smiles as Kara answers the last question all by herself. “It seems to me like you understand the information,” she says as she finishes writing the answer. “Maybe you just need someone to go over it with?”

                “Y-yeah,” Kara stutters. “That’s probably it.”

                _I have to tell her, I have to tell her, I have to tell her at the end of class, I have to–_

                Kara’s broken out of her thoughts by Lord announcing the end of class. “Bring your papers to the front before you leave,” he says. “Other than that, see you all next week.”

                Lena moves to get up, heading for the front, but Kara quickly stands and snags the paper from her hands. “No!” she says hastily, making Lena jump. Kara tries to cover for herself, her free hand grabbing for the chain around her neck. “Um, I just meant, let me take it.”

                Lena concedes and gestures to the aisle as if to say, _be my guest_ , so Kara grabs the paper and her pencil and joins the queue of people all hustling to get to the front. When she’s far enough in line that she figures Lena probably can’t see her, she erases her name from the top of the sheet. She wants Lena to get credit for this assignment, and not get flagged for working with a name that’s not on the class roster.

                _Because that wasn’t a perfect chance to tell her, Kara. Why didn’t you just get it over with?_

                “I will after I turn this in”, she argues with herself, casting a glance around to see if anyone heard her. Finally getting to the front desk, she places the worksheet with only Lena’s name on top of the rapidly accumulating stack. Lord doesn’t even glance her way as she hurries away, back up the steps.

                She’s surprised to see Lena holding out her backpack when she gets back, but she throws it over her shoulder and follows as Lena starts walking to the exit.

                “So when’s your next class?” Lena asks.

                “In about twenty minutes,” Kara says. “It’s my painting class. What about you?”

                “Same for me. Although painting sounds a lot more fun than my mechanics class.”

                “Ew. Probably.”

                Another lull in the conversation. _Okay, here we go._ Kara opens her mouth, about to finally say what she planned, when –

                “Could I get your number?”

                Kara stares unblinkingly at Lena, not comprehending, as it feels like her brain malfunctions. “Uh, what?”

                “Your phone number? So we could, I don’t know, text each other?” Lena’s face flushes a little, and she averts her gaze as her canine tooth snags her bottom lip. “Forget it. It was stupid, I’ll just–”

                Kara quickly shakes her head. “No, no! I mean, no, it’s not stupid. Yes, you can have my number. I’d love to have you. I mean your number! In my phone! Yeah, that, yes, definitely.” She finally shuts her mouth, not wanting anything else to come out of it ever again. Talk about her tongue betraying her.

                What was it about this girl that had Kara so tongue-tied? She had never been this bad when she had been crushing on James, and she was _still_ getting teased by Alex and Winn about what a stuttering mess she’d been then. But it felt like she was a thousand times worse when confronted with Lena Luthor.

                Lena takes out her phone, pulling up a new contacts page. She hands it over to Kara. “Here; you put yours in,” she says with amusement. Once again, Kara hopes Lena’s not laughing _at_ her. She types her number, double-checking she got it right and then hands it back to Lena.

                 Lena blinds Kara with her smile once again. “So I guess I’ll see you Monday?”

                “Definitely,” Kara replies, smiling dopily back at her.

                Lena adjusts the backpack strap on her shoulder, glancing at her watch. “Great! I have to run, but I’ll text you later. Bye, Kara!”

                And Kara’s so gone that she stands there for five minutes after Lena walks away, thinking about how lucky she is to have her number asked for by such a pretty girl. Lena has her number! And she’s going to text her! Kara can almost believe she’s died and gone to heaven.

                It doesn’t even occur to her until halfway through her painting class that she never told Lena the truth – and that she once again agreed to see her at the next lecture.

…

                “Ugh, what am I gonna do?” Kara whines, smacking her forehead on her keyboard.

                It’s later that night and Winn’s over in her room, the two of them working on homework and eating entirely way too much junk food. It’s something of a tradition for the two of them when neither of them has Friday night plans, and since Kara wants to make this a quiet weekend where she contemplates her life choices, she happily agreed when Winn knocked on her door with his laptop and three textbooks, a bag of chips balanced on top.

                “Well,” Winn says, moving Kara’s screen so he can see the list of random images Kara had been staring at on Google. “You could always just go with the clichéd mountain background. Or a beach scene. Those are always nice.”

                Kara groans. “I’m not talking about my painting. Although, I really need to get started on that too. But I’m talking about _Lena_. I didn’t tell her the truth today, because every time I was about to, I got distracted by her stupidly beautiful face and just stammered like an idiot. And then she gave me her number and asked if she’d see me Monday, and I just… _agreed_. Like some kind of useless, gay mess.” Kara flops back on her bed, shoving a pillow over her face. “Useless,” she moans into the pillow for emphasis.

                “Useless, _bi_ mess,” Winn corrects her jokingly, chuckling. He pats Kara’s knee in an attempt to comfort. “But all kidding aside, sounds like you got it bad.”

                Kara moves the pillow a few inches down so she can look him in the eye. “I have it _so_ bad. You should have seen me.”

                Winn doesn’t say anything to that right away, and Kara sits up, suddenly wondering what he really thinks about the whole thing. “Do you think I’m being ridiculous at the thought of even talking to a Luthor?”

                The question comes out with more venom than she intended.

                He shakes his head vigorously. “No way. It’s like you said last night. Can’t judge someone just by their family.” He shrugs. “Sorry about that, by the way. I would have said something, but your sister had on that death glare of hers, and I didn’t want a repeat of the Index Finger Incident.”

                That makes Kara laugh. She’s so relieved he agrees with her. “I definitely don’t blame you there. But thanks, Winn.”

                Winn holds out his fist for a fist bump, which Kara readily completes, both of them grinning. “Hey, what are best friends for, am I right?”

                Kara grabs a handful of cheese curls and makes a move to go back to what she should really be working on – her newest art assignment. Winn starts working on the code he’s writing again when he suddenly seems to remember something he wanted to say.

                 “Besides, I would love to talk nerd with Lena one day. I heard she doesn’t even have to _take_ physics here. She’s already way beyond any of the classes the college offers.”

                Kara smiles, throwing him a cheese curl. “I think she would love that.”

                Her phone dings then, a new message popping up on the screen. Her heart skips a beat as she reads it, seeing it’s from an unknown number.

Hi! It's Lena :)  
  


                She squeals, looking excitedly at Winn. “It’s Lena!” she shouts.

                He laughs, hard. “You’re right. You have _so_ got it bad.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, I know I'm solely in the Supercorp tag, but as you can probably tell from this or if you've read any of my other stories, I have very special feelings for Sanvers. And I heard the news about what's happening with them, and I am just... devastated and don't plan on watching the new season.
> 
> That being said, I have every intention of finishing this story. Please, comment on what you like? Your comments are probably the only thing that'll keep me going with this.


	4. Game Night

                After a visit from Eliza to check up on Alex, the rest of the weekend and next week pass by in a blink of an eye. Lena and Kara continue to text back and forth, sharing all kinds of things about each other. Kara learns that Lena lives in the same dorm building as the rest of the gang – even on the same _floor_ as her – but spends most of her time in her room when she’s there.

                Kara tells her all about her experiences as a freshman – meeting Winn, and then James, and then everyone else, and how terrified she was when she learned that her advisor was Cat Grant, the professor _everyone_ talked about, whether they had a class with her or not. Lena sends a bunch of laughing emojis when Kara tells her about being called ‘Kiera’, and Kara thinks the whole thing is worth it for those simple streams of code right there.

                And of course, Kara goes to her not-class the whole week. She keeps telling herself that she’ll tell Lena at the next lecture, but she knows in the back of her mind that she’s already in too deep. It’s like when you forget someone’s name the second after they tell you. You think it’s not important until you end up seeing them over and over again, never wanting to admit you don’t remember, until you feel like it would be entirely inappropriate to ask them after all that. She hasn’t gotten caught yet, and she just doesn’t have the heart to admit her deceit.

                Which is why, when Lena sits down next to Kara on Friday and almost brings up the subject, Kara deflects. It goes like this:

                “So, I met your sister. We have biochem together. She seems really nice. Did you two plan to take an elective together?”

                “Oh, uh, no,” Kara says, shifting in her seat. She pushes her glasses up her nose. “We definitely didn’t plan this.”

                Lena looks at her puzzlingly. “Sorry if I’m overstepping. It’s just that you two seem pretty close, from the way she was talking.”

                “Oh, we are. She’s my best – _wait_. You two talked about me?”

                She’s never going to hear the end of this from Alex.

                “Just the usual common-ground kind of stuff. Nothing scandalous,” Lena assures. “She offered to be my lab partner for the rest of the semester, so we made small-talk as we worked.”

                Kara’s elation levels rise drastically. _Alex really meant it when she said she’d give Lena a chance!_ She makes a mental note to thank her sister later. “Did you not have a lab partner?”

                “We just started the partner work this week actually. Before it was just individual assignments. But it’s really nice to have someone sit at the lab bench with me now.”

                _I’m letting Alex eat all the potstickers next time we get some_ , Kara vows silently. _All of them. I won’t even fight her_.

                Kara smiles widely at the way Lena’s beaming as she continues to talk all about how Winn had asked her to look over his project for physics. The two of them had nerded out for hours in the lab one afternoon, and Winn’s project had gotten the highest grade in the class as a result.

                Kara’s going to make sure Lena has that look on her face much more often, now that she’s starting to make some friends.

…

                The next Wednesday, Kara wakes to a blaring alarm and the dawning comprehension that it’s been going off for a while. She feels horrid and immediately knows why as she shifts to shut her clock off. She groans as she realizes she must have lost track of the days, and Mother Nature managed to sneak up on her.

                She rolls out of bed and shuffles off to the bathroom with a change of underwear, squinting in the harsh light of the hallway. The cramps get ten times as worse the moment she’s upright, so she face-plants back in bed as soon as she makes it back to her room.

                She doesn’t get cramps like this often, but when she does, just the thought of moving makes her feel sick. She knows that she’s not getting up for a class she doesn’t need to go to, even if it’s class with Lena. She’s not sure she wants to go to her _real_ classes today.

                She curls up tighter and pulls the blanket over her head, moaning. She thinks idly of the stock of health supplies in the campus store that would probably help, but she doesn’t feel like going all the way there to get anything. The last time this had happened, she had simply borrowed Alex’s – or was it Lucy’s? – heating pad for a few days, but the thought of uncurling herself to reach her phone that’s right above the headboard on her desk is too much effort. She closes her eyes instead, trying to forget about her misery.

                She must fall back asleep at some point, because she’s startled back into consciousness sometime later by her phone buzzing from her desk. She finally reaches out until she finds the offending object, dragging it into her blanket cocoon. She peers blearily at the screen, and it takes her a minute to decipher the text from Lena as her brain fights off the sleep-induced fog.

Everything okay?

                Kara moans as her stomach gives a particularly painful lurch, her excitement of Lena worrying enough to text her mitigated by the pain she’s in. She types out her response quickly, closing her eyes again as soon as she’s done to wait and see if Lena responds.

Have the worst cramps ever right now. Don't want to get out of bed.

                Lena’s response is a simple frowny-face, and Kara knows she’s probably too busy scribbling notes to keep up with Lord’s furious pace to cast more than a glance at her screen. She tosses her phone to the side of the bed and closes her eyes again.

                She ends up drifting in and out of sleep for the next hour or so. After about the fourth time she wakes, she debates whether she should really skip the rest of the day. She’s gotten caught up in Painting, but can she really afford to miss her other classes? Her lack of willpower says yes, but the good student part of her says no.

                In the midst of her debate, someone knocks on her door. Kara frowns in its direction as she wonders who it could be. She considers not answering, as she isn’t usually in her room this time anyway, so it isn’t like someone can call her out on it later. But then the knock comes again, this time, accompanied by a voice.

                “Kara? Are you in there?”

                The voice has her scrambling to get up as quickly as she can to confirm it’s who she thinks it is. She grabs her glasses and wraps an arm around her stomach before throwing the door open. The hopeful part of her brain that’s been telling her it’s Lena is proved right.  “Lena?” she asks. “What are you doing here?”

                Lena holds up the grocery bag that Kara notices she’s carrying. “Thought you might be in need of a little get-well present,” she says in explanation.

                Kara takes the offered bag and looks through it curiously, taking in the array of items inside. Two chocolate bars, some tea bags, Advil, and the greatest thing Kara’s ever seen in her life – the box of disposable menstrual heating pads they sell in the campus store. She looks up at Lena with wide eyes. “You shouldn’t have.”

                Lena smiles, shaking her head. “It’s no problem. I knew it must be bad if it was enough to keep the bubbly, energetic Kara Danvers in bed.”

                Kara’s pretty much speechless at that. _She thinks I’m bubbly! And she bought me chocolate!_ She shakes her head to clear it. “Seriously, thank you. You’re a lifesaver. Now I might actually make it to some parts of class today.”

                “Glad to be of service.” Lena laughs.

                With that, Kara realizes they’re still standing in the doorway. “Would like to come in?” she asks, moving further back into her room.

                Lena nods and walks in and Kara is suddenly aware of her sleep-mussed hair and the fact that she hasn’t even brushed her teeth yet. “You can sit, uh, anywhere really.” She grabs her toiletry bag and holds up the box of heat packs. “Do you mind if I run to the bathroom real quick?”

                “Not at all.”

                Kara opens up one of the air-activated packs and grabs a hair tie before excusing herself. Once there, she brushes her teeth, combs out her messy hair, and puts it up into a ponytail. It’s going to be a sweatpants kind of day, but she at least wants to make herself a _little_ presentable.

                When she gets back to her room, heating pad providing blessed relief in all the right places, Lena’s studying the paintings hanging on display above her desk. “I like your room,” Lena remarks. “It’s very cheerful. Very _you._ Do you not have a roommate?”

                “Nope,” Kara says, popping the _P_. She’s feeling much better already now that she’s up, so she sits on her bed and pats the space next to her for Lena to join. She grabs the chocolate bar and opens the wrapper, breaking off a piece and offering it to Lena as she explains. “Apparently there was an odd number of sophomores this year, and I was the lucky one who didn’t get paired. And since I hadn’t requested anyone as a roommate, they asked if I’d be okay with a single. Which I was, after last year’s disaster with my roommate. Her name was Siobhan and she hated my guts.”

                Kara punctuates her statement with a big bite of chocolate, followed by an Advil, which she swallows back with some water from the glass on her desk.

                Lena eyes her, nibbling on her piece delicately. “I can’t imagine that there’s any on this planet that could possibly hate you.”

                “Well, believe it. She did. We were both Professor Grant’s advisees and for some reason to her, that meant we were rivals. She tried to sabotage me all the time in class, and she ended up getting expelled when she got caught trying to plant evidence that I had cheated on a midterm.”

                Lena’s brow furrows. “Goodness. That sounds ridiculous.” She shrugs. “I don’t have a roommate either, but I think it has more to do with the fact that no one wants to share a room with a Luthor.”

                There it is again, the gallows humor that Kara has noticed Lena using before. It’s always with such a bitter tone that Kara wants to instantly make everything better, but she never knows exactly what to say. “Could you imagine if we had been assigned each other?” she asks, opting for a positive spin in this case. “We would have met so much sooner!”

                The thought makes Lena smile. “You mean I would have realized how much of a dork you really were that much sooner?”

                Kara whacks her with a pillow playfully before she can even think about it. This isn’t her sister, and she probably shouldn’t go around hitting pretty girls she’s crushing on, but Lena doesn’t seem to mind. She simply laughs as Kara splutters an apology and throws the pillow back.

                Kara blushes hard and looks down at the ground, noticing her backpack lying where she left it the night before. It reminds her how she should probably go to Painting now that she’s feeling more up to it, and that’s when the realization hits her. “ _Wait._ Lena! Don’t you have class right now?”

                Lena shrugs nonchalantly. “It’s fine. I wanted to come see you instead.” At Kara’s frown, she continues. “I hate to sound like a know-it-all, but that class is so boring. The only reason I’m taking it is because they wouldn’t let me into the more advanced mechanics classes as a freshman. I could probably skip for the rest of the semester and still get an A+.”

                Kara’s panic dies down somewhat, but she still feels guilty for causing Lena to skip when she knows Lena has perfect attendance otherwise. Lena seems to pick up on this, for she elbows Kara softly. “It was my decision,” she says. “But if you’re feeling up to class now, I do have a proposition for you.”

                Kara tilts her head. “What is it?”

                Lena stands from the bed and holds out her hand. “Chocolate’s all very well and good, but you should really get some actual food in you. Would you want to get some brunch with me?”

                Kara accepts the hand that helps pull her to her feet, her heart pounding at the lingering contact. She clears her throat as she pushes her glasses up her nose. “That sounds absolutely perfect.”       

…

                Later that night, Kara and the gang commandeer the TV in the dorm lobby for an impromptu Game Night. They push two couches until they’re arranged in an acceptable _L_ fashion in front of the screen, coffee table in the middle. James rolls his eyes from behind the glass partition of the RA duty window as they immediately take up most of the lobby with their plethora of snacks and blankets and video game cases they managed to gather for the occasion. Kara knows it’s more from wanting to be able to join them than the commotion they’re no doubt going to cause while he’s on duty.

                They have a rock-paper-scissors tournament to decide who picks the first game, Winn beating Alex in the final round and deciding on Mario Kart. Kara grabs a controller and curls up into the end of the couch parallel to the TV as Winn sets up the Wii. Maggie settles onto the other couch with Alex’s back pressed against her front, the two of them deciding on letting Maggie play for Alex’s left hand. They practicing twisting the wheel in coordination with each other, Alex muttering, “Remember, if I say use an item, you better use it, Sawyer.”

                Lucy grabs two controllers and drags Vasquez down between her and Kara, propping her feet on Vasquez’s lap and leaning over the arm of the couch to blow a kiss at James. That leaves Winn to reluctantly sit at the end opposite Alex and Maggie, within range of Alex’s feet. The last time that happened, Winn ended up on the floor after defeating Alex’s character in a full-out Super Smash Bros Brawl fight. Kara giggles at the grimace he shoots her when Alex nudges him with her foot as if to remind him.

                They’re only halfway through the first round when Kara notices a familiar shape enter the dorms. She looks away from the screen to confirm it, and yes, it’s Lena. Her controller falls from her grip and she no doubt concedes her second place status to wave. “Lena!” she calls out.

                Lena startles and looks up from the book she’s reading, pausing just shy of the entranceway to the staircase. She smiles widely as she sees Kara and waves back, stepping into the lobby to move closer. The others greet her with various forms of hello, but are too intent on the game to say much more. Lena greets them all in turn, moving until she’s standing next to Kara.

                Kara drops out of the race completely as Lena’s eyes fall on her. “How are you feeling?” Lena asks.

                “Better,” Kara says, sitting up so her feet fall on the floor. “Those heating pads saved me; I’m on the second one now.” She pats the empty space beside her. “Would you like to join us? It’s Game Night.”

                Lena’s eyes flicker to the TV, where Alex and Maggie’s car passes Lucy’s right at the finish line, prompting the couple to shout out in victory and hive-five. Lucy grumbles and Vasquez and Winn laugh as they come in behind them.

                “I don’t want to interrupt anything,” Lena finally replies. “There’s some biochem work I was planning to do tonight anyway.”

                “Oh c’mon, Luthor,” Alex says loudly. There isn’t a hint of loathing in her voice; it’s the same tone she uses when she calls Winn, ‘Schott’. “The only one interrupting anything will be Brian over there, when he inevitably barges into one of our conversations with some cheesy comment.”

                They all turn to look at Brian sitting at a table not too far away, who looks up when he hears his name. He’s usually a permanent fixture somewhere in the lobby, resulting in him being known as ‘Lobby Brian’ around campus residents. He simply shrugs. “It’s true. I probably will.”

                Alex takes that as a point for her argument. “Besides,” she continues, and all the heads turn back to her. “We both know we don’t have an assignment due for weeks in that class. One night of fun won’t kill you.”

                Kara butts in then with her signature puppy-dog pout, knowing no one can resist that. “Please,” she begs, drawing out the word. “We even have an extra controller because James can’t play and Alex and Maggie are sharing. We wouldn’t even have to fight for it.”

                Lena sighs, but it’s playful. “I suppose I’ve been convinced.”

                 Kara fist-pumps in triumph as Lena sits beside her. Lucy even goes out of her way to move her feet so they’ll have more room.

                Lena holds the controller that Vasquez hands her awkwardly. “Although I can’t say I know how this works.”

                Winn sits up with a gasp. “You’ve never played Mario Kart?!”

                Six pairs of eyes turn to her as Lena shakes her head, looking nervous now. “No?” she answers. It sounds more like a question. “I’ve never played… whatever this thing is,” she says, gesturing to the Wii.

                Winn gasps again, hand to his heart as if he’s been physically wounded. Alex kicks him, but not too hard – for her. James even slides the glass over to ask, “Did I hear that right?”

                Lucy breaks some of the tension Kara can tell Lena’s suddenly feeling. “Well, what else is college for, if not new experiences?” she asks with a smile. “Kara can show you the ropes,” she adds, with a very unsubtle wink in Kara’s direction.

                Lena turns to Kara then. “R-right, of course,” she sputters. She quickly goes over the controls and tries not to blush as Lena places her hands over hers as she explains what each button does. By the time Lena’s all set, Kara can tell she’s red as a tomato. She sticks her tongue out at Lucy behind Lena’s back.

                They let Lena have first pick over characters, and once everyone’s settled with one, they’re off again. Alex and Maggie struggle a lot more together this time, as they keep slipping on banana peels that Lucy purposefully sabotages them with. Kara somehow ends up crashing into Vasquez and Winn over and over, resulting in all three of them falling behind. Still, it’s a fairly close race with Lucy in the lead, until they make it to the third lap and a blue shell seems to come out of nowhere, hitting Lucy and knocking everyone else within range off-course. Lena’s car shoots past all of them and claims first place.

                Jaws drop as everyone turns to Lena. No one had even seen her coming. “I thought you said you never played!” Alex says.

                Lena shrugs. “I haven’t. Beginner’s luck?”

                Kara laughs at the outrageously pleased expression on Lena’s face. “New or not, we’re so not taking it easy on you now.”

                Lena wins the next round. And the next. And the one after that.

                Winn switches out to the start menu after coming in second on what he claims is his ‘best course’. “That’s it. We’ll see how you fair on Rainbow Road, Luthor. Nobody can do well their first time there.”

                Lena raises her eyebrow at him. “Who says it’s my first time? I know all about the struggles of the rainbow.”

                Kara chokes on absolutely nothing. _Did Lena just make a gay joke?_

                Lucy full-on cackles at that. “You wouldn’t be the only one here who could say that.”

                 And well, Kara knows she could be talking about herself, or Vasquez, or Alex, or Maggie, but all she can feel is Lucy’s eyes on her. Her blush is back, ten times worse than before. She can practically feel the heat her face is giving off.

                Luckily, the race starts then, and Lena’s too preoccupied to notice. She still ends up beating them all, though she does fall off course at least twice.

                They switch games after that, but it turns out it’s not just Mario Kart that Lena seems to be adept at without ever having played. They call it a night around midnight, after everyone loses spectacularly in the fifth game they try. They all make Lena swear to be there for the next time, as they declare a name change from Game Night to Actually-Beat-Lena-at-Something Night.

                Lena walks with Kara up to their floor, stopping right outside Kara’s door. “Thanks for making me stay,” she says. “I had a lot of fun.”

                “Anytime,” Kara replies. “Goodnight, Lena.”

                Lena smiles and kisses Kara’s cheek before turning down the hallway. “Goodnight, Kara,” she calls out, right before she turns the corner and disappears.

                Kara’s left speechless in front of her door, and it takes her forever before she remembers to go inside.


	5. Intervention Time

                From them on, Kara makes it a point to invite Lena to as many things as possible. Although Lena’s schedule is extremely hectic with all the credits she’s taking, she still manages to rope Lena into dinner with everyone at least once a week.

                And if they’re not together around a meal time, Kara makes sure to text Lena to ask if she’s eaten, especially after noticing that Lena tends to forget basic needs like food when she’s working. Sometimes Kara’s met with a positive assurance or a promise she will right after she finishes this project, but sometimes she gets a question back in return. _Are you eating now?_ is all it will say, and Lena will walk into the dining hall ten minutes later with a shy smile and a quiet _thanks_. Those are the times Kara considers the most special.

                And Kara is so busy with trying to make Lena feel welcomed and loved and letting her know she has people who care about her well-being – on top of all her school work – that she honestly just starts to forget that she’s still living a partial lie. While not a part of her actual one, Nine AM Medieval History has become a part of her brain’s schedule.

                And sure, she remembers all too well when she has to avoid eye contact with Lord and continue to dodge Lena’s questions about the homework assignments she doesn’t do or why she always insists on turning in any of their in-class assignments, but she thinks it might be worth it. Because Alex starts sitting with them, and she drags Vasquez along with her, who turns to be in the class as well, and the four of them move where they sit almost every lecture until eventually, the other students don’t even seem to notice when they sit in the same row as the girl they had all shunned in the beginning. Kara even sees a lot more of people interacting with Lena, which makes her heart swell each time Lena smiles.

                So yeah, she thinks it might be worth it, but she knows by the increasingly probing looks Alex gives her each lecture that she can’t keep it up forever.

…

                That weekend, Kara knocks on Alex’s door for the agreed upon Sister Night, her arms overloaded with snacks. Lucy opens the door, and she walks in to find Alex and Maggie sitting on Alex’s bed, waiting for her. Lucy pats her on the shoulder before hopping up on her own bed, the three of them all looking solemnly at Kara.

                Kara fidgets, laying her array of snacks on Alex’s desk. “Uh, hi guys. What’s going on?”

                Alex pats the space beside her for Kara to sit as Lucy speaks. “We all agreed that we think it’s time we had a little chat.”

                Kara shakes her head. “If this is about my multiple pizza order last Thursday, Chef M’orzz already had this talk with me. You know I get so hungry after Professor Grant’s back-to-back block classes, but I didn’t mean to eat all of them by myself, I swea-”

                Maggie interrupts her with a laugh. “It’s not about your somewhat-alarming food consumption habits, Little Danvers. Although we’d all love to know how you do it. It’s about Lena.”

                “Oh.” Kara blinks. “What about Lena?”

                “The fact that you still haven’t told her,” Alex pipes up for the first time. She runs her hand through Kara’s hair as she speaks softly. “You’ve been getting away with it for a lot longer than I ever thought you would, and I know you don’t feel like you can tell her at this point. And I understand why. These situations are always hard once you’re stuck in the lie. But the class midterm is coming up in a few weeks, and there’s no way you’re going to be able to pull that off. They check IDs and you could get in serious trouble if someone cards you and sees you’re not on the list.”

                Kara swallows. “I know; I need to tell her. I never meant to be in this situation this long in the first place. I just keep getting distracted.”

                “I think we can all agree that she’s very pretty, sweetie,” Lucy says, nodding her head. “But don’t you think you’re taking the ‘distracting’ thing a little too far at this point?”

                Kara sighs, shoulders slumping. “I know. It’s not an excuse for lying.”

                Alex wraps her arm around Kara. “So what’s the real reason you haven’t told her yet?”

                “I just – I’m scared that if I tell her the truth, she’ll get mad at me. That she won’t understand.”

                Alex squeezes Kara closer as Maggie leans over her girlfriend to catch Kara’s eye. “But don’t you think it will just be worse the longer you let it go on?” Maggie asks. “You’re risking getting caught, and I know she’d much rather hear the truth from you than some rumor on campus after you get busted.”

                “I’ve been thinking I could tell her I audited the class. You know, that would explain why I don’t have to take the exams or anything. And then I could just say I was doing the in-class stuff for fun.”

                “Kara,” Alex sighs. “I don’t think more lies are going to make things better. That could have been a great solution, but you would have had to audit the class before the add/drop period ended. You just need to tell her the truth. She’ll understand, or come around eventually.”

                Kara shrugs Alex’s arm off in favor of flopping back on her bed to grab a pillow. She puts it over her face, letting it muffle her voice. “How do you know?” she asks.

                “Because we’ve seen the way she looks at you,” Lucy jokes lightly, plopping down next to Kara. The standard dorm twin bed, already crowded enough with three, threatens to spill the first one of the four of them who moves to the floor. Lucy doesn’t seem to care. “She could never be mad at you for long. She’s got it just as bad as you, kid.”

                “Th-that’s not-” Kara splutters. “That’s not true. We’re just friends. We don’t even know for sure she’s into girls.”

                She’s met with three different eye rolls.

                “Please,” Lucy scoffs. “You heard what she said at game night.”

                Maggie pats Kara on the shoulder. “And my gaydar doesn’t lie, Little Danvers.”

                “Even I can see it,” Alex adds.

                “Okay,” Kara clears her throat. “Maybe she is, maybe she isn’t. Doesn’t mean someone like her could ever like someone like _me_.”

                Alex glances at Lucy and Maggie. “I think this intervention might have to turn into a self-esteem booster.”

                “Pff, no,” Kara says, waving her hand. “My self-esteem is plenty boosted, thank you very much. I’m just being realistic.”

                “Uh-huh,” Lucy deadpans. “Because it’s totally realistic to think that you’re not quite the catch.”

                Maggie hops down from the bed and leans in to kiss Alex’s cheek. “It’s up to you now, babe. Lane and I have that Crim test to study for.”

                Lucy holds out her hand and makes Maggie pull her up as well. She grabs her backpack and winks in the sisters’ direction as Maggie heads to the door. “Have fun, you two. Make sure you don’t eat all the ice cream in the freezer like last time. Some of it’s mine, you know.”

                “You know I can’t stop her once she gets going,” Alex teases back.

                Kara nudges her sister with her foot, glad that the conversation has changed to something she actually has a handle on. “Excuse me, you’re the one who ate Lucy’s pint last time. And then you swore me to secrecy after I pointed it out.”

                Alex’s cheeks tinge pink as she mutters, “Which clearly didn’t work.”

                “I don’t care who has to hold back, but that Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough in there is mine.” Lucy gives a pointed look at their mini-fridge before laughing as Maggie yanks her out into the hallway. “See you later!”

                The door closes and Kara sits up, pouting. “Aw man, she has Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough in there?”

…

                And Kara would like to say she spends the rest of the night contemplating the advice she’s been given, but the reality is she stays up most of the night wondering if what Lucy and Maggie and Alex had said was true. Could Lena actually be into her too?

                Kara doesn’t know, but she figures testing the waters a bit can’t hurt.

                So she’s a little preoccupied with her thoughts the next morning, which is why she ends up kicking herself mentally in the dorm laundry room. She stands in front of the washer that’s just finished cycling through with all her clothes and curses her stupidity.

                The only other machine that’s currently running in the empty laundry room beeps behind her, the dryer coming to a stop. Kara places her head down on the metal of the washer and groans angrily.

                “Stupid,” she mutters out loud. “You idiot. You’re an idiot, Kara. A stupid idiot.”

                And of course, that’s when someone walks in.

                “I sure hope you’re referring to someone other than Kara Danvers,” says a voice from behind her.

                And _of course_ that someone is Lena Luthor.

                Kara jumps three feet in the air and whips around to find Lena standing there, eyebrow raised in what Kara’s come to know as her signature look, holding a laundry basket.

                (And looking absolutely flawless while doing so.)

                Kara feels her face heat up as she shoves her glasses back in place and tries to regain her composure. “Lena!” she yelps in surprise. “I – I didn’t think anyone was around to hear that.”

                “Well, they always say Luthors are the sneaky ones.” Lena laughs as she goes over to the dryer that just finished and starts pulling her clothes out. “So why are you calling yourself an idiot in the middle of the laundry room?”

                “Ugh,” Kara groans as she turns back to her own machine, remembering her current predicament. “Because I am.”

                Lena tilts her head as if to say, _explain._

                Kara speaks in a rush of breath. “I put all my clothes in the machine and started it up and then came back down to move them to the dryer and that was when I realized I never put the soap in because I use the little soap pod things and I carried it down here in my pocket and guess what it still in my pocket?” Kara pulls out the soap pod to show Lena. “And now I’m mad at myself because laundry is already expensive enough and I can’t do another load this week if I want to keep up my laundry budget and so now I’m just going to have to wait until next week to have fully-clean clothes again.”

                She takes a big breath and lets it out as a sigh as she finishes, putting her head back down on the washer with a _thunk_.

                She hears the dryer shut behind her and then Lena’s standing next to her, resting her basket on top of the adjacent machine. “I think I have an easy solution to fix this,” Lena says after Kara turns her head to face her.

                Hope floods Kara’s eyes because of course, a genius like Lena would know just the trick to save her.  “Really?”

                Lena nods and smiles. “Go ahead and put your soap in now.”

                Kara does and looks at Lena eagerly after she closes the lid again. “Now what?”

                Quick as a flash, Lena swipes her ID card through the slot and presses the Start button. “Now you let a friend pay for you,” she declares with a satisfied little smile.

                “H-hey!” Kara says indignantly. “I thought you were going to do some kind of engineering magic!”

                “Nope, just some rich heiress magic this time,” Lena laughs. She puts her hand on Kara’s shoulder. “You’re welcome.”

                And there’s no way Kara can even be fake-mad when Lena’s looking at her like that. She smiles. “Thank you.”

                Lena nods and makes a move to grab her basket, but Kara catches her wrist before she can leave. “Hey, I was wondering if I could ask you something.”

                Lena tilts her head. “Of course you can. What is it?”

                “Would you want to get some coffee together sometime?”

                Kara’s heart pounds in her chest as Lena smiles and rotates her wrist until they’re holding hands. “I’d love to.”

                But her euphoria shatters quickly as Lena continues. “How about tomorrow before class? We could make it into a breakfast thing.”

                Kara has to stretch herself to keep her smile from falling too much. “Uh, yeah. About – about that… there’s something I need to –”

                And Lena’s head it tilting again, and it’s the perfect chance for Kara to just come clean, but Lena’s eyes are getting more and more hesitant the longer Kara stands there, and she just _can’t_.

                She can’t do it.

                “I just usually get like three sticky buns in the morning for breakfast,” Kara finally forces out. “And some people think that’s weird, but they’re just so good and I have a really high metabolism so I need a lot for breakfast if I’m going to make it through to lunch and I just-”

                She stops rambling as Lena moves her hand to her shoulder again. “I think I’ve been around you enough to know about your eating habits. I won’t get scared away; you don’t have to worry.”

                Kara nods and lets out a pretend-relieved breath. “Okay. How about I text you tomorrow morning and we can head down together?”

                “That sounds great,” Lena agrees.

                And is it just her imagination or is Lena blushing too?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to everyone who's read this far and double thanks to everyone who's commented. They mean the world to me :)


	6. Late Night

                Kara spends the rest of the day in a near-panic state as her mind and body process what happened in the laundry room earlier. She asked Lena out. On a date. _She's going on a date with Lena._

_Tomorrow._

She’s still freaking out as she grabs dinner with Alex and Maggie. Everyone else is too busy for the night to trek down to the dining hall. Midterms officially start that week and end the following Friday, and the campus is in a frenzy as students start preparing for them.

                Kara’s surprised Maggie managed to drag Alex away from her books and convince her to stop studying long enough to eat. Alex grumbles something about being on a ‘mandatory’ study break for the rest of the night, and she rolls her eyes when Maggie kisses her cheek and says, “We both know you could not study at all and still ace everything, babe. I’m just looking out for you.”

                As for Kara herself, it’s needless to say that studying is the last thing on her mind after that morning.

                It’s Maggie who brings it up, as Alex is preoccupied with some mental calculation, her lips mouthing numbers only she can see. (Kara knows from prior experience that you can take away the books from Alex Danvers, but you can never really take Alex Danvers away from the books.)

                “So, Little Danvers, spill. What’s got you so freaked out? I know you only have one midterm and a paper, and it’s not either of those things that have broken out the Danvers Crinkle.”

                Alex glances up from her plate at that, her own forehead crinkling as if to prove Maggie’s point as she takes in Kara fidgeting in her seat.

                Kara clears her throat. “I may have… asked Lena out, and now we’re going on a breakfast date tomorrow?”

                Maggie’s face morphs from concern to the most wolfishly-delighted grin Kara’s ever seen. “Twenty bucks, Danvers,” she shouts triumphantly. “Twenty bucks _and_ we’re going to that new vegan restaurant downtown.”

                Alex’s jaw just drops a little as she stares at her sister. “ _You_ asked _her_ out?”

                Kara crosses her arms defensively, slightly confused. “Yeah?” she says.

                “I said you would,” Maggie explains with a laugh. “Alex bet you would just pine after her for a million years unless Lena did something first.”

                Kara turns to regard her sister more closely. “You bet _against_ me?” she asks in mock-outrage.

                Alex shrugs. “In my defense, you don’t have the best track record when it comes to making the first move. Just look at how long you waited with James.”

                “That was because I knew he still had feelings for Lucy after they broke up!” Kara tries to defend herself.

                Alex comes around the table to give Kara a hug, the gesture a little awkward because of Alex’s hesitation to use her hand that’s still in her splint. “Congrats, sis. I’m happy for you,” she says sincerely. “Even if I’m out twenty dollars and probably will have to gag down some disgusting vegan substitute for real food in the near future.”

                "I know you secretly like most of it, babe," Maggie teases.

                They settle back into finishing their meals, the couple letting Kara ramble on and on about Lena this and Lena that. She can’t seem to stop now that she’s started, but she knows it’s because she’s excited and nervous and just about every other clichéd thing people feel before a first date.

                Alex’s fork scrapes her plate one final time before she finally chimes in, finally getting Kara to close her mouth. “So like I said, I’m on an official study-break for the rest of the night, thanks to this one,” she says, poking Maggie in the side. “So I’m free if you want help picking out what you’re wearing tomorrow.”

                Kara considers the proposal before shrugging. “It’s just a casual thing. It’s breakfast and we have classes after. I’ll just keep it simple.”

                “Uh-huh. Which means you’re going to go back to your room and change your mind thirty-two times before calling me and asking for help?” Alex asks.

                Kara balls up her napkin and flicks it at her.

…

                Kara only changes her mind a few times before she settles on an outfit for the next day. Okay, so a _few_ equals about ten in this case, but who’s counting? Certainly not Alex (although that’s only because Kara wouldn’t let her.)

                She decides to head to bed early, wanting to get a good night’s rest so she can be fresh as possible the next morning. She smiles to herself in the mirror as she brushes her teeth in front of the sinks and she nearly bounces as she climbs into her bed.

                She doesn’t know it yet, but the next day is not going to go at all how she thinks it will.

                It’s one of those nights. The kind where even though Kara’s tired and really needs to sleep, her brain just can’t seem to agree with her on that and shut off. She tosses and turns for a long while, because it’s a school night and she really needs to be functional when she meets Lena the next morning, but she eventually gives up around one thirty in the morning.

                She gets out of bed and turns the lights back on, grateful once again for the fact that she has her own room and doesn’t have to worry about disturbing anybody else. If she’s not going to be able to sleep, she figures she should at least be productive for the night. She settles in at her desk with a sigh, intent on finishing her upcoming paper for Professor Grant.

                And that’s exactly what she’s doing a while later when there’s a knock on her door. Kara startles and checks her screen for the time. It’s close to three in the morning; who would be knocking on her door right now? Sure, it’s happened before, but she has an odd feeling that it’s something more than just some drunken idiot who forgot where their room is after stumbling back to the dorms from a party. And Alex hasn’t done that since she started dating Maggie at least.

                Something’s off, and Kara always trusts her instincts, so she rushes to her door, her sock-clad feet sliding on the slick floor after she steps off her rug.

                Her suspicions are confirmed when she opens the door to find Lena standing there, arms wrapped tightly around herself. Her head is tilted towards the ground and her hair is down and in her face, and Kara just knows that something is wrong.

                Kara’s worries mount even further as she notices the slight tremble to Lena’s frame. “Lena?” she asks. “What’s going on? Are you okay?”

                Lena’s shoulders slump in on themselves and she nods quickly. “I was just going to get some water in the lobby,” she says. Her voice is hoarse and hushed, as if she’s afraid to speak too loudly. “But I saw your light on and I thought I’d… but it was stupid of me to bother you, I’ll just go.”

                Lena turns and starts to move away and Kara has to all but lunge out the door in order to grab her shoulder. “Wait!”

                Lena flinches, and Kara’s not sure if it’s because of the touch or her volume level or both, so she quickly releases her grip and takes a step back. She holds her hands up for Lena to see and lowers her voice. “I’m sorry. It’s just that you’re not bothering me. And if you need help or anything, I’m here.”

                Lena nods without saying anything and Kara curses the fact that she can’t see her expression very well. She leans forward and tilts her head in an effort to see a bit more of Lena’s face. “Do you want to come in?” Kara asks. “I have some water in the fridge that you’re welcome to.”

                Lena simply nods again, so Kara holds the door open for her and motions her inside. Lena sits on Kara’s bed without even being prompted, so Kara grabs a water bottle from the fridge before sitting next to her, careful to keep some distance between them. She’s never seen Lena like this and isn’t too sure what she’s comfortable with at the moment.

                Now that they’re inside, Kara can see a lot more of Lena’s face. Her eyes are dry, but even so, Kara doesn’t think she’s ever seen someone look so sad. So sad and so utterly exhausted.  

                Lena takes the bottle offered to her and tries to loosen the cap, but her fingers are shaking so much that she just ends up fumbling with it. Kara takes it back and twists it for her, pressing the open bottle into her hand gently.

                “Thanks,” Lena whispers. She takes a couple sips and some deep breaths, and Kara can tell she’s trying hard to compose herself.

                The way Lena is shaking is also more noticeable now that she’s sitting down. Kara eyes her outfit of – clearly designer – sleep shorts and tank top. “Are you cold?” she asks, wanting to address the physical issues first. (It’s also a testament to how worried she is that Kara doesn’t even spare a thought for the fact that this is the first time she’s ever seen Lena in pajamas.)

                Lena shrugs as if she’s not sure. Kara grabs her blue blanket from the end of the bed anyway and wraps it around Lena’s shoulders. Lena huddles into it and grabs Kara’s hand before it can pull away, finally meeting Kara’s eyes. Her expression is sheepish and apologetic and ashamed, but Kara shakes her head and tries to convey the message that it’s okay.

                “What is it, Lena?” Kara asks softly, rubbing her thumb over Lena’s knuckles in what she hopes is a soothing gesture. “Are you not feeling well or did something happen or what? Do I have to go beat up somebody? Because you say the word and I will.”

                Lena laughs at that, her lips turning up in what almost resembles her usual smile. “No villains for you to beat up, sadly,” she says, her voice sounding close to normal. “I’m okay. Just got a little worked up over something silly.”

                Kara’s dealt with Alex for years now; she knows a deflection when she hears one. She places her other hand over Lena’s and moves just a tad bit closer. “Nothing that has you this upset could ever be silly,” she assures. “We don’t have to talk about it if you don’t want to, but what you’re feeling is valid.”

                Lena shrugs again and leans over so her head’s resting on Kara’s shoulder. “I just had a bad dream,” she admits, the words almost inaudible.

                Taking the contact as a cue that it’s okay, Kara immediately wraps Lena up in a hug. Lena sinks into her side and Kara squeezes tight.

                “Nightmares are the worst,” Kara says quietly. “Is there anything I can do to help?”

                Lena’s quiet as she ponders the question. Kara can tell she’s deciding whether or not to really ask what she wants, so she gives Lena an encouraging smile. Lena takes a deep breath.

                “Can I stay with you?”

                The question is asked so meekly - Kara’s never seen Lena look quite as vulnerable as she does right then – and her heart just breaks as she realizes that maybe Lena’s never had someone to go to in the middle of the night. She thinks of all the times Alex has held her after one of her own nightmares and her heart aches even more. “Of course you can,” she ensures. “You know you’re always welcome here.”

                Lena doesn’t say anything in answer, but she relaxes into the embrace, her muscles releasing some of the pent-up tension from her body. Kara stays quiet as well, simply rubbing circles on Lena’s back and holding her close.

                It’s a few minutes later when she notices that Lena’s eyes have closed. She tucks a strand of hair behind Lena’s ear as she softly asks, “Do you want to lay down and try to sleep again? I can turn the lights off.”

                Lena forces her eyes open, and Kara can tell it’s a struggle as she blinks heavily. “Wouldn’t bother you?” she half mumbles.

                “Not at all.” Kara shakes her head. “I think we could both use some sleep. Here, c’mon.” She pulls the covers back and guides Lena under them. Lena seems to fade even faster once her head hits the pillow, her eyes closing once again as she lets out a sleepy sigh.

                (Has there ever been a cuter sight than this? Lena falling asleep in her bed? Nope, none that come to mind. Not even those pictures of the kitten that fell asleep in that tissue box that made Kara squeal loudly in the middle of class.)

                Kara stands and switches off the overhead light, deciding to leave her desk lamp on in case Lena wakes and forgets where she is. She’s about to grab an extra pillow to curl up with on her carpet when a hand makes its way out from underneath the blankets, arm reaching towards her.

                Lena looks at her through half-lidded eyes. “You too?” she asks.

                Kara’s heart gives a little stutter. “You sure?”

                “Mm-hmm,” Lena hums, nodding once. She scooches so her back is pressed against the wall, leaving more than enough room for Kara to slide in beside her. 

                And that’s exactly what Kara does. How could she possibly say no to that request?

                Kara lays on her side, facing Lena, who grabs her hand and pulls it onto the pillow between them. Her expression is soft in the glow of the lamp and Kara can tell she’s already mostly asleep as she slurs, “’Night, Kara.”

                Kara can’t help the small smile that breaks out on her face at the words, the way Lena’s breathing is already starting to even out. “Goodnight, Lena. Sleep well.”

                And despite her earlier troubles, Kara falls asleep too shortly after that, her hand warm in Lena’s.

…

                Kara’s alarm wakes her the next morning. Feeling groggy, it takes her a minute to distinguish the noise for what it is, and she tenses when she feels something shift beside her. That’s when what happened the night before comes back to her, and she opens her eyes. She jolts when she realizes her head is mere inches away from Lena’s own, their hands still clasped together.

                Lena’s nose is scrunched up as she buries her face in the pillow. “Five more minutes,” she murmurs sleepily.

                Kara slips out of bed and quickly shuts off her clock. Lena’s expression relaxes and she mumbles something incoherent as she once again goes still.

                Yawning and wanting nothing more than to sleep for a few more hours, Kara settles back in bed. She’s a little surprised when Lena moves forward until she’s pressed up against Kara, her head tucked under Kara’s chin. Not that she’s complaining, but she would never have expected Lena to be such a cuddler. Kara drapes her arm over Lena’s waist, hardly daring to breathe as she feels her brain short-circuiting at their contact. Lena lets out a content sigh and nuzzles Kara’s collarbone with her nose.

                Yep, Kara is entirely _way_ too gay for this.

                But even that doesn’t stop her from falling back asleep.

                By the time she wakes again, Lena’s already up and looking at her. She’s back against the wall again, the previous distance between their bodies back in place. She has a small smile on her lips and it only grows as she notices that Kara is now awake.

                “Hey,” Lena says, her voice raspy with sleep.

                Kara’s pretty sure she’s died and gone to heaven.

                “Hey,” she says back. “Did you sleep okay?”

                Lena nods, her hair strewn out behind her on the pillow. “I think we both did. We missed class.”

                Kara grabs her phone only to see it’s well on the way to noon. “I’m so sorry,” she frets. “I should have woken you when I had the chance. I just thought you needed the sleep.”

                Lena places her hand over the one Kara has on her phone. “It’s fine. I think you were right. I wouldn’t have been in good shape for class anyway.”

                “But you’re feeling better now?”

                “Yes,” Lena assures. “Thank you for letting me stay here.”

                Kara intertwines their fingers. “Anytime. I mean it. If you need anything, all you need to do is ask. I’ll always be here for you, Lena.”

                Lena ducks her head at that, her ears flushing red. “Thank you,” she whispers.

                And Kara doesn’t know what comes over her, but she’s suddenly pressing her lips to Lena’s forehead as she says, “You don’t have to thank me. You deserve it. You deserve to be happy.”

                Lena’s breath hitches in her throat and she throws an arm around Kara before pressing her face into Kara’s shoulder. Kara holds her tight.

                “No one’s ever said anything like that to me,” Lena says a few minutes later, releasing her hold.

                Kara smiles and runs her fingers through a strand of Lena’s hair. She’s not entirely sure where the boost in confidence came from, but she thinks it might have something to do with seeing this vulnerable side of Lena. “Well, that just means I’m going to tell you that much more often,” she promises.

                “Kara?”

                “Yeah?”

                Lena suddenly sits up, her expression hard to read. She fiddles with her fingers in a way that’s uncharacteristic for her, and Kara sits up as well.

                “When you asked me to get coffee with you yesterday, you meant as a date, right?”

                Kara suddenly feels like fidgeting herself. She grabs her glasses from the dresser and shoves them on her nose. “Uh, yeah, I did. Is that not what you thought I meant?”

                Her heart pounds hard in the second it takes Lena to reply. “Yes, I did,” she assures quickly. “I just started to second-guess myself after. But I was really hoping you meant as a date.”

                Kara lets out a relieved sigh and runs her thumb over Lena’s knuckles. “I’m glad. Because I’d really, really like to go on a date with you.”

                “Then I take back what I said earlier. I don’t regret missing class, but I am sorry I made us miss breakfast.”

                “We could still go if you wanted,” Kara proposes, trying not to sound too eager. “Make it a lunch thing. Or we could wait until after classes tonight and go out for dinner?”

                “Hmm,” Lena ponders the offer. “Or we could do something I’ve never done before.”

                “What’s that?”

                “Skip classes altogether.”

                Kara regards Lena with wide eyes. “You’ve never played hooky before? Not even once?”

                “Nope.” Lena shakes her head. “It wasn’t something that was smiled upon in the Luthor family. I think the closest I ever came was when I had the chicken pox when I was nine and I was banned from school as a ‘health hazard’ until I recovered.”

                “That’s not even close to the same thing.” Kara jumps out of bed and stretches languidly before holding her hand out for Lena. “We are so doing this. I’ll show you everything you missed out on.”

                Lena smiles and accepts the hand held out for her.  

                Kara already knows it's going to be a great day.


	7. The Date

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> *Chanting* Date date date date date date DATE (Can you tell I'm excited?)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, this is probably the most cliched, overly-romantic thing I have ever written and I hope it's appreciated for that reason.

                They start the day by getting lunch at Kara’s favorite café on campus.

                And yes, Kara knows that that isn’t the greatest start to the grand adventure she hyped up to Lena in the time it took them to get ready for the day, but she’s entirely too hungry to wait until they get downtown for food. The whole not-getting-up thing that morning really threw off her food schedule, as her stomach oh-so-helpfully points out as soon as they step foot outside the dorms.

                Lena doesn’t seem to mind though, smiling at Kara the whole time it takes them to place their orders and grab a table. Kara can tell she’s feeling much better than the night before, which leaves a warm feeling in Kara’s chest because _she’s_ part of the reason. Lena had trusted her enough to come to her after her nightmare, and everything had led to this moment, the two of them together on a _date_ and oh, Kara’s so excited she could just _squeal_.

                Must to her embarrassment, she must actually do exactly that because Lena raises an eyebrow at her from across the table as she takes a sip of her coffee. She laughs and smiles even wider, though, so Kara thinks she must be feeling the same way.

                They eat quickly, too excited at the prospect of spending the day off campus to stay any longer than they possibly have to. They talk idly about school and what’s going on in some of their classes, Kara mostly spending the time watching Lena. She’s completely captivated by what she sees: the way Lena pulls her sandwich into small pieces before bringing them up to her mouth to chew, the way her fingers graze her lips every so often, the shine in her eyes as she babbles on about some new scientific discovery that’s “simply fascinating, Kara. Can you imagine the possibilities once the prototype is marketed?”

                (Kara ends up having to physically force her gaze down to her plate to remember to eat the rest of her meal.)

                The weather couldn’t be more perfect for a skip day – it’s one of those bright and warm fall days that tricks you into thinking that summer hasn’t ended yet. The walk into town isn’t long and they spend most of it in deep discussion of anything that comes to their minds. It isn’t until Lena stops them on a street corner and turns to Kara that she remembers the day out she promised to lead.

                “So, Miss Juvenile Delinquent,” Lena begins. “What does one do when skipping school?”

                “Hmm,” Kara says, playing along by tilting her head as if deeply pondering their options. “I think the only logical choice for our first activity is to see a movie and load up on popcorn.”

                Kara nods decisively as if it is indeed the only correct conclusion to be made.

                Lena giggles – full-on actual _gigglage_. “We just ate,” she says - as if that could possibly prevent Kara from getting the large movie theater tub of buttery goodness that she’s already drooling over from imagining.

                Kara clasps a hand to her heart as if she’s suffered a mortal wound. “There’s always room for popcorn! Besides, going to the movies is a classic. It’s like pretend-sick day protocol. And I said I was gonna show you everything you missed out on. We absolutely _have_ to.”

                “Okay, okay! I’m convinced.” Lena grabs Kara’s hand and intertwines their fingers, and goodness, is Kara ever going to get over something as simple as that? _Probably not_. “Lead the way.”

…

                They end up finding a little local theater that’s still showing _Wonder Woman_ and Kara practically drags Lena inside once she hears that Lena’s never seen it. (“She’s only the second-best superhero _ever_ , Lena.” “Who’s the first?” “Supergirl. _Duh.”)_

                They’re just in time for the showing too, walking in the auditorium just as the lights begin to dim. There are only a couple other people in the theater, so they have their pick of seats, meaning Kara pulls Lena to the best seats in the house – right in the middle behind the guardrail so they have a place to prop their feet.

                Kara’s arms are loaded with candy and other snacks because, despite her earlier teasing, Lena let her pick out everything she wanted at the snack bar, saying it was only fair that Kara shows her the full “playing-hooky” movie experience. Which means Kara chose one of nearly everything – and is probably going to die of a sugar-overload – _plus_ the large popcorn that Lena’s carrying. Lena’s also sworn to at least _try_ everything, something that Kara is very insistent on, well aware of how effective her pouting can be.

                The movie is, of course, awesome, and Kara is delighted to see that Lena is genuinely into it. (And she’ll deny that she spends most of the film watching Lena’s reactions out of the corner of her eye to anyone who asks, thank you very much.) After it finishes, they walk out into the daylight once again, Lena staring dazedly out into space.

                “Okay,” she says. “You were right. That was brilliant. I feel…”

                She trails off as if there isn’t a word she can think of in that big brain of hers to possibly describe what exactly she feels. Kara bounces on her toes, just a smidge hyped-up from all the sugar. “Like you could kill one hundred men with your bare hands right now?”

                Lena looks at her in amazement and bursts into a wide grin. “Yes! That’s it exactly!”

                “See! I told you!” Kara squeals and jumps, clapping her hands in the air.

                Okay, maybe more than a smidge.

                Lena laughs, and it’s Kara this time that reaches for her hand. “C’mon,” Kara says. “This is the part where we walk around and see what other trouble we can get into.”

_Other trouble_ turns out to be mini-golf, as they pass by an indoor place and can’t resist going in. Kara quickly finds out that Lena’s just as good with a club as she is with video games, and Kara loses by a landslide. When she sees Kara’s bewilderment after tallying up the score, she shrugs. “It’s applied geometry. And a little physics,” she explains. “Just luck really.”

                “Sure,” Kara scoffs, rolling her eyes. “ _Luck_.”

                After that, they stroll aimlessly through the city for a while. Kara doesn’t really have any destination in mind, but when they pass by her favorite parks, she knows they have to stop. It’s a big park separated into two halves by the city’s only river, with plenty of trees and benches and open, grassy spaces.

                But it’s the playground that’s currently beckoning Kara. There aren’t many people around and the play equipment is completely empty. Kara’s face lights up in delight before she dashes for the swings, dragging Lena along with her.

                “Let’s see who can go the highest!”

                Lena laughs, and the sound is completely light and free and only _slightly_ jesting. “What are we, five?”

                “Maybe at heart! C’mon!”

                And even though Kara beats her to the swing set, Lena overtakes Kara quickly, clearly pulling ahead with the height she reaches at the top of her arc.

                (“It’s all about form, Kara. You can’t generate the right torque if your form is off.”)

                Kara, however, totally beats her at the jumping-off-the-swings contest, landing the furthest away in the sand pit.

                (“ _It’s all about form_ , Lena.)

                Then they make their way to the other play equipment. Kara shows off on the monkey bars and proves that yes, she can do more pull-ups than James claims he can. Lena lets out an uncharacteristic shriek when Kara hangs upside by her knees and beckons her closer, only to hoist her up so she has to grab onto the bar on the other side to prevent herself from falling.

                “Okay, I’ll admit that that was entirely too impressive, Kara Danvers. And no, I was not scared at all. I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

                They goof off on the merry-go-round next, taking turns spinning each other around. They spin until Lena swears she can’t take it anymore, and then they lay down on their backs with their heads meeting in the middle to catch their breath.

                “It’s been forever since I’ve been on one of these,” Lena says, still a little giddy from all the revolving.

                “Me too,” Kara pants. “I think I worked off the rest of that candy now.”

                “Oh? Does that mean you’re getting tired?”

                That makes Kara sit up, only tilting to the side slightly as her equilibrium balances itself out. “No way,” she says, holding out her hand for Lena. “I still haven’t shown you my favorite part of this place.”

                Once they’re both steady, Kara guides Lena away from the playground, leading her to the walkway that runs parallel to the river. They stop at the railing and look out at the water, and Kara breathes in deeply as a gentle breeze blows over them.

                “This is where Alex first came out to me,” Kara says, reminiscing. She gestures over to the benches that line the strip. “I came up one weekend to visit her freshman year, and I could just tell right away that something was wrong. She was so freaked out. She dragged me here and I think we would have paced around for hours if I hadn’t gotten her to finally sit and talk to me.”

                Lena is silent, just listening as Kara shares the memory. “And then when I started thinking I was bi, I knew I could talk with Alex. I brought her back here to tell her. Felt like it was appropriate. She really helped – even got Lucy to talk with me in case there was something she didn’t know.” Kara shrugs as she finishes. “I just hope I was half as much help as she was to me.”

                Lena places her hand over the one Kara’s resting against the railing. “I’m sure you were. I know for a fact you were – you _are_ – nothing but supportive for your sister. It’s great that you two have each other, especially for something like that.”

                “Did you?” Kara asks, glancing at Lena curiously. “Have someone there for you?”

                Lena shrugs. “I never really told anyone until recently. I think I knew for a long while, but it wasn’t blatantly apparent to me until I tried dating my friend Jack. We had known each other for a long time and my mother was pushing me towards him, so it seemed like the thing to do at the time. But nothing about it felt _right_ to me. That was when I knew for sure. I was much too interested in the girls at my boarding school to be anything close to straight. But no, I never told anyone.”

                Kara pulls Lena into a side hug, resting her chin on her shoulder. “Well, now you have me. You’ll always have me.”

                She can feel the way Lena smiles at that. “Promise?”

                “Yes. I promise.” Kara pulls away so she can look Lena in the eye. She smiles too. “You’re not getting rid of me that easily.”

                Lena laughs, her expression one of unfiltered joy. “Good,” she says.

                They fall silent after that. Kara gets lost in the reflections bouncing off the ripples in the water. Evening is starting to fall, she notes, the shadows lengthening as the sun begins to set.

                Eventually, Lena pulls her out of her thoughts by raising her arm and pointing at something across the water. “What do you think is going on over there?” she asks.

                Kara follows her gesture to the other side of the park, taking in the crowd that’s starting to gather and the booths set up along the strip. “It must be some sort of festival-type thing,” she says excitedly. “Want to check it out? Maybe there’s food we can eat for dinner.”

                Kara’s stomach chooses that moment to growl audibly as if to punctuate her statement. She blushes as Lena chuckles.

                “Sure,” Lena agrees. “We should never pass up an opportunity to feed the beast.”

                Kara narrows her eyes in embarrassment, but even she has to admit that Lena’s probably right.

                They make their way to the other side, taking the pedestrian bridge in the middle of the park. They walk hand in hand, swinging their arms slightly as they go and Kara’s sure she’s never been more content before in her life.

                It does turn out to be a festival – a fall fest with all kinds of vendors and food and family-friendly entertainment, including a band. It seems to have just gotten started, the rising number of people promising to have the festivities in full swing before dusk. Kara’s utterly delighted to have stumbled upon such an event, and judging by Lena’s expression, the feeling is mutual.

                They walk around for a bit to marvel at everything before Kara’s stomach decides that it really needs food, right that second. They have their pick of food trucks to choose from and Kara’s mouth waters as she takes in all the choices. She lets Lena make the final decision, though, seeing as they’re on a date and all.

                They eat at a table on a little deck overlooking the water, the sun finally setting fully around them. Strings of lights turn on to compensate for the dark, strung overhead in the trees and between the tops of the booths, giving the park a warm, festive feel.

                Kara takes in Lena in the yellow light from across their table and it hits her that she’s never seen anything quite as beautiful as the way Lena looks right then. She’s never had a better first date either, and the night isn’t over yet.

                By the time they finish eating, the band starts playing, adding another layer of perfectiveness to the evening. They look at all the stalls more closely then, just wandering around and enjoying each other’s company, bantering back and forth the whole time.

                A few people remark on what a lovely couple they make, causing both of them to blush. Kara can’t help but beam as she looks at Lena because she can’t help but think that they’re right. Lena squeezes her hand a little harder each time it happens, her face lit up with complete joy.

                They pass by a little curtained-off stall, and it isn’t until she sees the flash of light that Kara realizes what exactly it is. “Lena, look!” she squeals. “A photo booth!” She gives Lena what Alex calls her signature Puppy Danvers look. “Do you want to get a picture?”

                “Getting just one defeats the entire purpose of a photo booth,” Lena says, sounding entirely too unenthusiastic. Kara’s face falls a little in confusion before Lena continues, nodding her head. “We have to do a whole montage at the _least_.”

                They wait in the short line at the entrance before ducking behind the curtain for their turn. They select the photo strip option on the screen and choose to print two copies, Kara sliding a five into the cash slot before Lena can even open her purse.

                “Don’t fight me on this,” Kara jokes lightly. “You’ve treated me to nearly everything else.”

                They smile sincerely for the first picture, but quickly agree that the rest _have_ to be silly. They give each other bunny ears and pull funny faces for the second one, and then do their best monster impressions for the third. As soon as the camera clicks for that one, Kara turns to find Lena with her hands curled up like claws and framing her face, her teeth bared in a mock-growl, Kara’s own face still twisted in a horrible grimace.

                The camera snaps the fourth one as they’re both laughing uproariously at each other. Lena takes the next opportunity to lean over and kiss Kara’s cheek, and Kara’s look of complete surprise is captured in its entirety as the shutter clicks for the final time.

                They exit the booth and wait for their pictures to print on the other side, still giggling. The strips turn out great, from what they can make out in the faint light from the closest streetlamp. Kara offers to tuck them into her purse to keep them safe, and then they continue walking through the festival.

                Eventually, they stop near the gazebo where the band is to listen. The music is gentle and just right for the kind of night it is, and people are dancing in the clearing adjacent to the stage. When they see that, Kara and Lena both turn to each other with a smile, seeming to be thinking the same thing.

                They join the couples on the makeshift dancefloor, Lena placing her hands on Kara’s hips to allow Kara the lead. They begin to move then, laughing as they figure out how exactly to dance together. By the time they get to the second song, Kara’s feeling a little braver, so she slides Lena’s hands into her own so she can twirl her around.

                Lena lets out a gasp as Kara pulls her back in close and places one hand on her waist. “Didn’t know you could dance, Ms. Danvers,” she says playfully.

                “I have many hidden talents,” Kara says assuredly. Her smug look quickly breaks, however, as she accidentally steps on Lena’s toes. “Dancing may not be one of my best,” she adds as a disclaimer.

                Lena laughs and shakes her head. “You’re still much better than me. You would think all those galas and parties I attended as a kid would pay off more.”

                They continue to dance for a couple more songs until Lena breaks the silence with a sigh. “I don’t want this night to end,” she admits. “Today has been so great.”

                “I’m glad.” Kara spins Lena around again. “Best skip day ever?”

                Lena looks into Kara’s eyes as she says sincerely, “Of course it was. I was with you.”

                And oh, Kara can’t hold herself back any longer. Not when Lena’s looking at her like that. She plants her feet, coming to a stop as she clears her throat. Lena looks at her curiously as she comes to a standstill as well.

                “Lena,” Kara starts, turning their hands over so she can run her thumbs over Lena’s knuckles. “Can I kiss you?”

                Lena looks a little startled, but then her face just absolutely, positively _melts_.

                “ _Yes_ ,” she whispers.

                And then Kara’s stepping closer, cupping Lena’s cheek with one hand before leaning in. Their faces are only inches apart, and Kara remembers how they were that close this morning when she had woken up as well. This time, she keeps going until their noses are brushing. Lena’s eyelids flutter shut as Kara angles her face to the side, and then their lips are pressing together and they’re _kissing_.

                They’re finally sharing their first kiss and Kara doesn’t care how clichéd it sounds, she swears it’s magical as she stands there underneath the strands of fairy lights with her lips against Lena’s and the music cutting through the warm evening air. There are fireworks behind her eyes and she’s tingly all the way down to her toes and she wants to remember this moment for the rest of life.

                Kara slides her hand down to Lena’s shoulder as Lena brings her hands up to Kara’s arms. The kiss lasts a few more seconds before they both pull back to breathe, although neither one of them seems to want to move too far, something that Kara is completely okay with.

                “Wow,” they both breathe out at the same time. They share a laugh at that, and Kara feels like she’s floating in the clouds as she takes in the gleam in Lena’s eyes. She’s never been this close before, close enough to see every fleck of color in Lena’s irises, the way they’re just slightly different shades.

                Kara tucks some hair behind her ear as her eyes continue to stare into Lena’s. “You are so beautiful,” she remarks softly.

                Lena pulls Kara a little closer at that, ducking her head shyly. “So are you.” She brings her gaze back up to meet Kara’s. “You may not have any special powers, Kara Danvers, but _you_ are my hero.”

                And Kara’s left a little speechless at that, so she simply pulls Lena in for another kiss, hoping it conveys what she’s feeling.

                They start swaying to the music again after that, Lena’s arms wrapped around Kara’s neck as they hold each other close. When the band finishes their last song, they break apart to applaud along with the crowd. Kara takes Lena’s hand again as people begin to disperse around them, wanting this moment to last a little longer.

                It’s the perfect end to a perfect day, and Kara couldn’t have asked for anything better.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Scream with me (or at me) in the comments?
> 
> Also, I'm on a bit of a break, so I maybe, possibly, hopefully can finish this story up soon. ( _Hopefully_ ) No promises, but I'll try my best! Thanks for sticking around with me so far :)


	8. Time for the Truth

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Here we go...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> LOOK I MADE IT AS FLUFFY AS I COULD IN THE FIRST PART OKAY? NO YELLING  
> IT SAYS RIGHT IN THE SUMMARY "NEARLY HALF THE SEMESTER" I'VE BEEN OPEN ABOUT WHEN IT WAS GONNA HAPPEN FROM THE GET GO

                “Whatcha working on?” Kara asks, leaning over in her chair and resting her head on Lena’s shoulder so she can better see the notebook that Lena’s been scribbling furiously in.

                They’re in one of the isolated study rooms in the library – the kind that’s soundproof with no windows so students can work on group projects or study in peace – and Kara’s taking every advantage she can get to be close to Lena while not in the public’s eye.

                They talked about it when they made it back to campus after their first date, how Lena doesn’t want to announce their relationship – and the fact that she’s gay – to the whole university. Because doing so would no doubt mean word spreading around until it reached her mother, who Lena isn’t ready to out herself to.

                Kara’s completely fine with it, of course. Lena had no qualms about telling their friends, who all congratulated them (with only some minor teasing directed at Kara) with the promise to keep the relationship a secret between them.

                “Business homework,” Lena says absently, like she’s too distracted by what she’s writing to really register the exchange.  She turns a page in one of the textbooks lying open in front of her, her pen coming up to her mouth to worry at her lip as she reads.

                They’ve been there for an hour and a half now – meeting up after Kara finished classes for the day and during one of Lena’s rare breaks in her schedule – and Kara can’t help it if her attention is starting to wander.

                (Okay, _maybe_ her attention has been wandering for the majority of the time they’ve been there, but no one has to know that.)

                After a few more seconds of watching Lena, Kara can’t resist any longer. She’s just way too cute and the face she’s making as she concentrates is irresistible. Kara scoots her chair closer to Lena’s and presses a kiss to the side of her mouth.

                Lena’s pen falters on the page slightly and she lets out a little gasp.

                Kara will admit, kissing Lena is quickly becoming an obsession of hers, now that she’s finally able to.

                “Kara,” Lena breathes out. “We’re supposed to be working.” But she turns her head so she can fully meet Kara’s lips, and Kara knows her objection is only half-serious.

                Kara brings her hand up and tangles her fingers in Lena’s hair to deepen the kiss. Lena lets out a strangled moan and relaxes further into her. Kara knows she’s won this round when Lena’s pen clatters onto the table, completely forgotten.

                “Wow.” Lena pulls back a few minutes later, breathless, and buries her face in the crook of Kara’s neck. Kara nuzzles her cheek in Lena’s hair as she laughs. “Were you even doing any work or were you just staring at me this whole time?”

                “I was doing things!” Kara says indignantly. “It’s not my fault I get distracted when you bite your pen that way!”

                “Oh?” Lena’s eyebrows raise. Her canine tooth snags her bottom lip as she eyes Kara playfully. Kara’s mouth goes dry. “Is that all it takes?”

                “Wha-? N-no, it’s– I’m not–”

                _Not that easy? Sure, Kara._

                She swallows and lets out a sigh, rolling her eyes at herself. “ _Yeah_.”

                “Good to know.” Lena smiles. “I’ll keep that in mind for future reference.”

                Kara has to avert her gaze back to the table to stop her eyes – and mind – from wandering any further. She knows she’s the one who started it, but _still_. Does Lena have to play that unfairly? Talking about their future together? Kara’s already whipped enough as it is.

                Lena tucks some stray hair behind Kara’s ear, seemingly able to read how flustered she’s gotten. She changes the subject, getting back to business. “You want to study for the history test together while we can?”

                The question is pretty much equivalent to a hard slap in the face. Kara sits up a little straighter and kicks herself mentally. She’s been so preoccupied the last few days with her joy over getting together with Lena that she had completely forgotten. “Oh, yeah, about that. There’s something I wanted to–”

                She’s cut off as her phone begins to ring from the other end of the table. They both jump as the noise cuts through the otherwise silent room. Lena pulls back fully so Kara can reach her phone. She glances at the screen and her brows furrow as she reads the caller ID.

                “It’s Maggie,” she tells Lena. “I wonder why she’s calling.”

                “Crazy thought, but maybe you’ll find out if you answer.”

                Kara snorts and gives Lena a little shove, making her laugh again. She swipes to accept the call and brings the phone up to her ear. “Hey, Maggie.”

                “Hey, Kara. Am I interrupting anything?” Maggie’s voice is rather resigned, and Kara frowns at the tone.

                “Nope. Just doing some homework in the library. Is everything okay?”

                Maggie lets out a sigh. “Alex hurt her wrist again a little bit ago. We just got back from getting it checked out.”

                Kara’s heart thuds almost painfully against her chest as she registers the news, but Maggie continues before she can get a word out. “Everything’s fine, but she’s a little grumpy and I thought it best if I told you.”

                The assurance only slightly mollifies Kara. “What happened?”

                There’s some shuffling from Maggie’s end, and Kara hears the telltale beep and click that the dorm doors make when someone swipes in. Maggie must hold the door open for Alex as it’s a few seconds before her voice comes back over the line. “Something twisted the wrong way when she went to pick up a book. You want to talk to her?”

                “No, that’s okay. You’re in the dorms, right? I’ll meet you there.”

                Kara hangs up after Maggie tells her they’ll be in the lobby. She turns to Lena, who’s eyeing her with concern and worry. “What’s wrong?” she asks.

                Kara’s response is a bit frantic. “Alex hurt her wrist again. She’s in the dorms. Do you mind-?”

                “Go,” Lena says firmly. “It’s okay. I’ll finish up here. I have class soon anyway.”

                Kara stands up with that and starts shoving her things back into her bag. “We’re still on for dinner, though, right?”

                “Wouldn’t miss it,” Lena smiles. “Tell Alex I hope she feels better and that I can cover for her in lab.”

                “Oh, that’s right. It’s your lab night. Do you think telling her that will be enough to stop her from trying to go?”

                 Lena shrugs. “Probably not. But I’m sure you and Maggie will manage something, between the two of you.”

                Kara slings her backpack over her shoulder and leans down to kiss Lena’s cheek one last time. “Thanks,” she says. “Good luck with the rest of your day. I’ll text you as soon as I know more.”

                Kara hurries out of the library, and it isn’t until she’s halfway to the dorms and shivering in the cool air that she realizes she left her jacket with Lena.

                She finds Maggie and Alex on one of the couches in the lobby. Alex is cradling her elbow, her splinted hand propped up on her opposite shoulder. She looks just as sullen as Maggie had claimed on the phone, but her face lightens as Kara moves towards her.

                “I’m fine,” she says without preamble. “You didn’t have to come check on me.”

                Kara sits beside her and gives her a little nudge on her knee. “Yes, I did. You okay?”

                “Yeah,” Alex sighs. “Just mad that I have to keep the splint on for longer. The doctor said I would have been able to just wear a wrist brace so I’d have full use of my hand again, but now I need to wait a few more weeks to make sure everything’s still healing properly.” She flops back on the couch with a huff. “Stupid heavy textbook. I just grabbed it without thinking and felt something give.”

                “How bad is it?”

                “I didn’t damage anything further, just tweaked it before it had the chance to fully heal. I would have been fine without going to see the doctor again, but Maggie insisted.” Alex rolls her eyes, but Kara knows she doesn’t really mean it.

                Maggie relaxes back into the sofa as well, picking up the TV remote and flicking it on. “Love you too, Danvers,” she says teasingly, flipping through channels.

                “So what’s the plan for tonight?” Kara asks, cuddling close to Alex. Although her sister will never admit it, Kara can tell she’s in pain by how uncomfortable she seems.

                “We were just going to hang out here until dinner,” Maggie tells her. “You’re free to join us. Unless you need to get back to studying.”

                “That’s okay. I wasn’t getting much done anyway. Although that reminds me!” Kara turns to Alex. “Lena said she’ll explain what happened so you don’t have to go to your lab today.”

                Alex groaned. “I almost forgot. I’m gonna have to make it up to her. She’s been having to pick up my slack most of this semester with the hands-on stuff.”

                “I’m sure Little Luthor doesn’t mind,” Maggie pipes up. “She strikes me as the kind to be doing lab experiments in her sleep.” She laughs suddenly and grins at Kara. “So you were with her in the library, huh? Is that why you weren’t getting much done?”

                One of the lobby doors behind them opens out of sight, the click sounding out before it slams shut. That door has always been one to close heavily, the closer worn out on the top of it. It’s one of the things that annoys nearly everybody but also never seems to get fixed.

                Kara feels her ears blush as Maggie gives her a knowing smirk, not letting the noise distract her from her question. “Maybe,” Kara grumbles.

                “Have you told her yet?” Alex asks all of the sudden. “That you’re not actually in history class? Don’t you think it’s time to stop lying and pretending to be in it now that you two are dating?”

                Maggie and Alex both eye her curiously. Kara slinks into the cushions, her mouth twisting as she remembers the conversation that had been interrupted. “I was actually just about to tell her when you called, Maggie. I’ll do it as soon as I get a chance to talk with her again.”

                The door opens and clanks shut again, and Kara leans her head over the back of the couch to look in its direction. “They really need to fix that.”

                She sits back up and pulls her phone out of her backpack. “Anyway, that reminds me. I promised I’d tell Lena how you are.”

Alex is all right. She just has to keep the splint on a little longer  
She also says thanks for covering in lab for her  
Meet us for dinner when you get out? :)

…

                It isn’t until a couple hours pass and they make their way down to the dining hall for dinner that Kara realizes that Lena never responded to her messages.

                James and Winn are already seated at a table when they get there, so they sit down with them after grabbing food. Lucy joins them a couple minutes later, just having got out of her judicial law class.

                Kara leaves her food untouched for a moment and checks her phone again. Still no response from Lena, and she should have been finished with lab twenty minutes ago.

                “No Lena tonight?” James asks her, like he’s reading her mind.

                “I asked her to join us,” Kara explains with a shrug. “She probably got caught up in something.”

                “I saw her on my way here,” Lucy says. “She was headed to the dorms. I tried to say hi, but she seemed like she was in a hurry.”

                “Ugh,” Alex groans. “I hope it isn’t some spur-of-the-moment assignment for biochem. Our professor has a way of doing that.”

                Maggie places a hand on Alex’s back. “Lena will let you know if it is.”

                “I’ll get her some dinner to-go,” Kara decides, zoning out of the conversation. She doubts Lena has much in the way of food in her room, but Kara will make sure she gets something to eat at least.

                Winn sighs dramatically. “Wish I had a girlfriend who would bring me food when I’m too busy to remember to eat,” he says.

                James pats him on the back. “Life’s rough, buddy.”

…

                Kara’s careful to keep the cargo she’s carrying balanced in front of her as she makes her way to Lena’s room. She cradles the tinfoil-covered plate to her stomach as she knocks on the door and smiles when Lena answers.

                “I brought you dinner!” she says excitedly. She holds out her offering to Lena. “I got your favorite salad and a sandwich. Plus a donut for dessert!”

                “Thank you,” Lena says quietly, taking the plate from Kara. She smiles, but it’s not the smile Kara has gotten used to seeing. It’s guarded and doesn’t quite reach her eyes.

                “Can I talk to you about something?” she asks, motioning inside her room.

                Kara’s spirits sink a little as she steps inside. “Of course you can. Everything okay?”

                Lena places the dinner on her desk, taking her time before she turns back around. Kara can’t help but think the action is deliberate to avoid meeting her gaze as she gathers her thoughts. She can see the gears turning in Lena’s head just in her stiff posture.

                “You’ve been lying to me.” Lena’s voice is distant and detached. Kara feels her face blanch at the words. “And I’m confused as to why exactly. Why couldn’t you just tell me you’re auditing our history class?”

                Kara’s brain pauses for a good few seconds as she’s realized what Lena’s just said. “What?”

                “You left your jacket in the library earlier.” Lena points at said jacket hanging on the back of her desk chair to emphasize the fact.  “I finished up my work and I noticed you left it. I still had time before lab and I thought I’d bring it back to you, so I came back to the dorms. I heard you and Alex and Maggie talking in the lobby. And I don’t–” She shrugs and continues in a quiet voice. “I don’t like being lied to.”

                Kara tries to reach out for her hand, but Lena crosses her arms and looks at her expectantly. Her expression screams _explain_.

                “I’m so sorry,” Kara starts, holding her hands up in front of her. “You’re right. I’ve been lying and I have no excuse for doing so. But I’m not auditing the class. At least, not _officially_.

                “I’ve just been showing up to the lectures every day and haven’t gotten caught yet?” She brings a hand up and scratches the back of her head as she shrugs. “I went that first day because Alex was freaking out about missing class, and I had just broken her wrist and I felt so bad about it, so I took her clicker and went for her. But then I met you and you asked to work with me and I said yes without really thinking and it spiraled on from there.”

                The truth is finally coming out, but it doesn’t seem to help much. Lena bristles further.

                “Why on earth–” She brings a hand up and pinches the bridge of her nose. Her eyes are sparking when she looks at Kara again. “So then why did you keep coming back? Was it a joke? Some kind of experiment? See how close you could get to the Luthor? Or did you pity me?”

                Kara sucks in a breath as she realizes what Lena’s probably spent the past few hours imagining. “Lena, _no_. It wasn’t like that. I would _never_.”

                Lena’s face softens at that, along with her tone. “Then why?” she pleads.

                “Because Alex and everybody else are right!” Kara exclaims. “I’m the epitome of a gay disaster and I was completely gone from the moment I first laid eyes on you!”

                Lena seems stunned by that answer, so Kara lets out a little sigh and pushes up her glasses to calm herself.

                “I really am sorry about lying to you. I let it get completely out of control, but I could just never figure out how to tell you without you thinking I was a complete idiot. And I probably am. But I did it so I could see you again. And then I kept doing it so I could get to know you better. It was so totally, _completely_ selfish of me. Because I really, really like you, Lena Luthor. And I’d sit through a thousand lectures about the plague if it meant I got to spend more time with you.”

                Lena stays silent, but her shoulders lower as she takes in what Kara said.

                Kara takes a deep breath, and then she explains. She tells Lena the whole story, starting with hitting Alex with the door and finishing with how she was going to say something earlier in the library.

                By the time she’s finished, they’re both sitting on Lena’s bed and Kara’s relieved to see Lena’s anger melt away completely.

                “You’re right about one thing,” Lena laughs dryly. “You _are_ an idiot.”

                Kara winces. “I deserve that.”

                Lena looks down at her hands in her lap. “I don’t like being lied to,” she repeats her statement from earlier.

                Kara shifts away on the bed, shaking her head. “You shouldn’t. You don’t deserve it. You deserve so much better. Look.” She waits until Lena meets her gaze. “I’ll understand if you don’t want to see me anymore. I messed up, and I get it if you can’t forgive me. I can go.”

                Lena’s silent for a beat too long and Kara takes it as confirmation. She stands and is just about to make her way to the door when a hand reaches out and holds her in place.

                “Kara.” Lena turns her back around and looks her in the eyes. “I’m not mad. I was at first, but I hadn’t given you a chance to explain. And you’re basically saying you thought I was too cute to function properly.”

                Kara bobs her head empathically. “You are and I still don’t. But it’s not really an excuse.”

                 Lena pulls her back down and gives her fingers a squeeze. “We can move past this,” she says. “But you need to stop going to class before you get in trouble, and promise not to lie anymore. About anything.”

                Kara nods, completely serious. “No more lying. I promise.”

                “Thank you,” Lena says simply. She stands up and walks over to her desk, pulling the still covered plate towards herself. “Now if you don’t mind, I’m starving, and my girlfriend was kind enough to bring me dinner.”

                “Girlfriend, huh?” Kara raises her eyebrows.

                Lena unwraps her sandwich and takes a bite. Kara’s happy to see a blush form on her pale cheeks. “Well, you _are_.”

                Kara feels a weight being lifted off her shoulders. She vows to make everything up to Lena and more. “Good to know.”


	9. Midterms

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is it, everybody!
> 
> (Also, if you get a bunch of chapter update notifications from previous chapters, you can ignore them. It's just me going through and editing out some typos since this is all finished up!)

                “Good luck on your test!” Kara says brightly, bouncing on her toes in the middle of the hallway.

                Lena gives her a look like she might be a little too hyped up on sugar for so early in the morning as Kara inhales sharply.

                “Not that you need it!” Kara adds. “You’re smart enough to ace everything with your eyes closed!”

                And okay, _maybe_ the two cinnamon rolls with extra icing _and_ two chocolate-glazed donuts she had for breakfast are starting to get to her, but there’s a sale going on in the bakery that whole week and how on earth could Kara say no to a 2-for-1 deal?

                Lena just smiles at her. “Thank you, Kara. For the fourth time in the past twenty minutes.”

                They’re standing outside the lecture hall for history, waiting for the door to be unlocked. They’re early – class doesn’t start for a whole nother thirty minutes – and only a couple of other students are around. Kara, of course, is only there for support, now that the truth is finally out and everything’s been cleared up between them.

                (Support which she would rather be in the form of kisses, but she supposes the three she’d snuck with Lena before they left the dorms would have to do for now.)

                Kara bounces higher on her feet. “Want to go over anything while we wait?”

                “If that will help channel some of that energy,” Lena laughs. She pulls out her notebook and flips to a page before passing it to Kara. “Quiz me all you want.”

                They spend the next fifteen minutes going back and forth, Kara asking questions and Lena answering them correctly without any effort. Kara decides to have a little fun by the time she gets to the last page of notes.

                “What was Sir Kent the Great best known for?”

                Lena’s face gets the most comical look of confusion and her eyebrows scrunch adorably as she thinks. “I don’t – I don’t remember that name at all. I–”

                Kara can’t help but burst into laughter, prompting Lena to look even more confused. “It’s okay!” Kara wheezes. “I made that up. You should have seen your face!”

                Lena takes her notebook back and hits Kara with it lightly. Kara can tell she’s fighting to look outraged, but then a laugh escapes her and she’s joining Kara in her giggle-fit.

                They’re still laughing when someone comes up behind them, throwing an arm over Kara’s and Lena’s shoulders.

                “I feel, as your friend, that I am obligated to inform you – just FYI – that if you want to keep this whole ‘relationship thing’ a secret for longer than a week, you might want to tone it down on the heart-eyes. I swear I could _feel_ how adorably cute you two were being from a mile away.”

                “Lucy!” Kara turns her head, surprised at the sight of her friend with two backpacks slung over her shoulders. “What are you doing here?”

                Lucy releases them, gesturing behind her with her thumb. “Someone let me carry her stuff to class for her this morning.”

                “More like you grabbed my bag and ran out the door before I could even say anything,” Alex grumbles, coming up to join them. Vasquez trails not too far behind her.

                Lucy beams at her roommate. “Wouldn’t want you to be in pain during your exams today. You’re welcome!”

                Alex rolls her eyes, but she’s smiling.

                “So…” Vasquez looks nervously between Kara and Lena. “You guys ready for this?”

                Alex and Lucy both tilt their heads curiously as Kara clears her throat. “It’s uh, okay, guys. Lena knows.”

                Three pairs of eyes go wide.

                “Oh!” Alex exclaims, eyebrows high. “And everything’s… okay?”

                Kara realizes she’s eyeing the ground when Lena reaches over and squeezes her hand. “Yes,” Lena answers. “We’re good.”

                “Good!” Lucy practically shouts, throwing her hands up in the air. She holds up a finger, looking pointedly at the two of them. “One: it was about time, Kara. And two: _God_ , Luthor, if I was you, I’d be flattered off my ass. This girl had it so bad!”

                Lena shoots Kara a look, smiling in that sinfully flirtatious way she does sometimes. “Oh, I most definitely am.”

                Kara’s speechless at that, and she might honestly be gaping a little as she fiddles with the frames of her glasses. Luckily – or maybe, unfortunately – they’re interrupted as Professor Lord finally arrives and unlocks the classroom door. Students begin to file into the room as he calls out instructions.

                “Cell phones turned off and placed in your bags. All bags should be tucked under your seats. Have your IDs out and ready so you can present them when you turn in your exam. Anyone caught cheating will get an immediate zero and be subject to disciplinary action. Failure to comply with any of these rules may also earn you a zero.”

                “Well,” Kara says. “I guess this is it. Good luck everybody!”

                “We’ll see you later,” Alex says, taking her bag from Lucy and slinging it over her good shoulder. “I have three exams today; I’m expecting a Game Night after dinner to unwind.”

                Kara nods eagerly. “Sounds good! I’ll let James and Winn know.” She catches Lena’s eye right before she’s about to disappear into the room behind Vasquez and Alex. “Text me when you’re done?”

                “I promise.” Lena nods. Then she heads into the class, leaving just Lucy and Kara standing in the hallway.                                                                    

                Lord kicks the door-prop up with his foot and nods at the two of them. “Have a nice day, ladies,” he says politely.

                “Thanks!” Lucy replies, not quite managing to keep the surprise out of her voice. “You too!”

                Lord smiles at her in acknowledgment before looking straight at Kara. He nods again. “Miss Danvers.”

                Kara’s mouth falls open as he shuts the door, and Lucy snorts before bursting into hysterical laughter.

…

                “You should have been there!” Lucy cackles as she recounts the morning’s events. The whole gang had managed to gather in the lobby for Game Night, as per Alex’s wish. Although there’s currently not much going on in the way of games; it was more like embarrass-Kara-by-rehashing-every-little-detail-from-that-semester night. “It was hilarious!”

                They have the lobby to themselves, and they’re all crammed together on the couches anyway, Lena curled up against Kara’s side, so Kara doesn’t hesitate to hide her face in Lena’s hair. “How’d he even figure out who I am?” she asks with a moan. “I was being so sneaky.”

                Lena pats her on the head lightly as nearly everyone scoffs, “ _Sure_.”

                “I can’t believe I didn’t figure it out for myself,” Lena says, and she’s chuckling too – much to Kara’s chagrin. “I know you’re not a bad student, but your work ethic in that class was honestly _appalling_ and yet I just kept telling myself it was because you weren’t interested in the subject.”

                Kara pulls back from Lena’s shoulder to give her an indignant look. “Hey!”

                Lena shrugs. “You never did the homework and you seemed to be half-asleep most of the time, when you weren’t staring at me. And now it makes sense why you always insisted I do the writing on any group work and why you always took the paper down. What did you do? Erase your name before you turned it in?”

                Kara scratches her ear, avoiding her gaze. “Yeah...”

                “Wow, I am so dense,” Lena sighs with a laugh, her fingers pinching her nose.

                Maggie leans over and pats Lena on the shoulder. “You’re not dense. Kara’s level of gay was just too strong.”

                “If only you could have seen her after that first day,” Lucy adds, grinning at Lena. “She was a _mess_.”

                “ _Pssh_ ,” Winn scoffs. “That was nothing compared to when Lena texted her the first time. I still don’t think my eardrums have recovered from the noise she made.” He sticks a finger in his ear and twists it around as if to prove his point, still talking. “And then when she–”

                “Okay!” Kara claps loudly, sitting up from Lena’s side. “That’s enough reminiscing for one day.” She leans forward and grabs the first box she can reach from the table. “How about some _Monopoly_?”

                There’s a collective groan from nearly all of them.

                “No way,” Alex says, holding up the _Cards Against Humanity_ box. “We’re playing something Luthor _won’t_ automatically win.”

                Everyone quickly agrees on the game choice, and a few minutes later, they’re all settled in for the first round, giving Kara a little chance to recover from the teasing. But with Lena next to her, it really doesn’t take much for her to forget her embarrassment.

…

                 Later that night, there’s a knock on Kara’s door. She opens it only for Lena to slip through and close it softly behind her. Without a word, Lena’s closing the gap between them and burying her face in Kara’s neck, arms squeezing tight. Kara immediately starts rubbing her back as her concern rises. She tries to think of anything that might have happened earlier that would have upset Lena but comes up blank. They had finished up Game Night only an hour ago, and it had been filled with nothing but fun and laughter and good times.

                “You okay?” she asks softly.

                Lena nods and pulls away, moving so she can sit on Kara’s bed. She grabs a pillow and doesn’t object when Kara sits next to her, leaning into her side.

                “My mother just called to inform me that she’ll be spending the holiday out of the country and that I shouldn’t bother coming home. I should just stay here and ‘further my studies,’” she sighs resignedly, making air quotes with her fingers. “She doesn’t seem to get that the dorms close for break and I literally _can’t_ stay here.”

                “ _What_?” Kara breathes out incredulously. “That’s terrible! Does she mean for Thanksgiving or Christmas break?”

                Lena shrugs. “Thanksgiving. But knowing her, I wouldn’t be surprised if she pulls the same deal over winter break too. I’m not sure why I can’t go home and keep the servants company at least. That wouldn’t be any different than normal.  But I guess I’ll just have to get a hotel room somewhere in the city.”

                “ _What_?” Kara repeats, starting to sound like a broken record. She sits up so she can meet Lena’s eye. “No way. You shouldn’t have to spend your break all alone. I know it’s only for a week, but, still. You can home with me and Alex. Maggie’s going to be joining us too.”

                Kara doesn’t even think about what she’s just said until she notices Lena blinking at her, surprise written all over her face. Her brain catches up with her mouth then, and she’s spluttering. “I – I mean, not that you have to, and gosh, I didn’t mean to imply anything. I’m sorry, I wasn’t–”

                Lena shuts her up with a gentle kiss. “No, that’s so sweet of you. But I wouldn’t want to impose,” she says.

                Kara runs her thumb over the back of Lena’s hand. “You wouldn’t be imposing. I know Eliza would love to have you. I’ve… kinda told her all about you,” she admits, scratching the back of her neck. She clears her throat and asks, “So will you think about it?”

                “I will,” Lena promises with a laugh. “As long as you get permission first.”

                “I’ll ask right now!” Kara squeals, grabbing her phone and clicking the screen on. She falters when she sees the time and realizes how late it is. “Er, make that first thing tomorrow morning.”

                Lena laughs again before yawning. She tries to cover it with her hand, but ultimately fails.

                “You want to stay here tonight?” Kara asks shyly, but eagerly.

                Lena agrees with a gentle smile, so they spend the next fifteen minutes or so getting ready for bed. Lena goes back to her room quickly to change before joining Kara by the bathroom sinks to brush her teeth.

                They go about their routine in content silence, until Kara nearly chokes on her toothbrush when she notices a little bit of foam dribble onto Lena’s chin. The noise causes them to lock eyes in the mirror. They burst into giggles at the way they’re both slavering like rabid dogs, and Kara has to hastily spit into the sink to avoid spraying the mirror. She’s not sure the cleaning people would appreciate that much.

                They’re still chuckling lightly when they make it back to Kara’s room. Kara turns the lamp on before hitting the overhead light switch, kicking off her slippers and sliding them under her bed. She turns to Lena. “You want the wall again?”

                Lena shakes her head, so Kara slides in first, holding out her arms. She’s a lot less hesitant than the last time they shared a bed, but she can still feel her heart thudding loudly in her chest. Lena must be feeling similarly, because she pauses for a beat before curling into Kara’s arms. But after a minute or so, they both relax into it, adjusting slightly to get more comfortable.

                Kara reaches up and turns the lamp off, and lets out a happy sigh. “Goodnight, Lena,” she whispers into the dark. “Sweet dreams.”

                Lena’s voice is just as soft as she echoes it back. “Goodnight, Kara.”

                Then it’s quiet, and Kara’s eyes are closing, and she’s just this side of sleep when she hears Lena call her name once more.

                “Kara?”

                She shakes herself a little and manages to open her eyes again. “Yeah?”

                “I’m really glad you pretended to be in my class,” Lena says, her hand warm where it rests on Kara’s arm.

                “Me too,” Kara laughs. “Me too.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all for sticking with me for this silly little fic idea I had that somehow turned into this, haha. I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did! Thanks for reading!
> 
> And I feel this should go without saying, and for the most part, I've been very lucky, but I do know of others who haven't been lately and I feel the need to spread the word. Please keep your fic comments kind. If you have any doubts about whether you should say something in the comment section or feel you have something to say that you would never want someone to say to you, then don't say it. Please refer to this helpful [post](https://sapphicscholarwrites.tumblr.com/post/170396569905/fanfic-comments) that the lovely [SapphicScholar](https://archiveofourown.org/users/SapphicScholar/pseuds/SapphicScholar) made for more info.
> 
> Thank you! Hope you're having a good day! Tell me what you thought about the ending? :)


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